Blakemore Retail has acquired seven more grocery shops from chain My Local, which recently went into administration. The shops, which are now undergoing rebranding, are located in Rhyl, Essex, Cardiff, Chatham, Lambeth, Witham and Rugeley and will shortly reopen under the SPAR brand.

Willenhall-based group A F Blakemore was founded in nearby Wolverhampton in 1917 by Arthur and Harriet Blakemore. It started life as a humble counter-service grocery store and has since grown to become one of the UK’s largest privately owned family businesses, employing more than 7,800 people with a turnover of £1.35 billion.

The group comprises nine divisions including retail, logistics, wholesale, food supply and distribution, store design and shop fitting. Their Food Services division is based in Wednesdbury and has won national awards for its employee volunteering programme. Blakemore distributes throughout the UK, from Scotland to the Isle of Wight, and the seven new stores will push the number of SPAR shops managed by the company to over 300.

Think Sandwell wishes Blakemore Retail the best of luck with its new outlets. To find out how we could help you with your business, go to our Business Services pages.