// Sainsbury’s now has 7 Neighbourhood Hub stores after recently launching 4 new sites
// Neighbourhood Hub stores offer a bigger selection of products in a larger variety of sizes, new meal kit ranges, flower bouquets & cosmetics
// Most of the Neighbourhood Hubs also feature a new Argos click-and-collect facility
Sainsbury’s has launched four new Neighbourhood Hub stores this year, bringing the total of sites under the retailer’s new fascia offering to seven.
The retailer said recent upgrades to its existing stores in Melbourne, Billingshurst, Whitstable High Street and Penwortham have joined Neighbourhood Hub stores for Woodhall Spa, Midhurst and Bishop’s Waltham customers that opened last year and in 2019.
Sainsbury’s Neighbourhood Hub stores are a food-led extension of its convenience offer and are set up to serve longer shopping visits due to their size and location.
READ MORE:
- Construction begins for new Sainsbury’s flagship in Hendon
- Sainsbury’s denies Argos’ “fire and rehire” strategy
- Sainsbury’s replaces “Live Well for Less” motto with “Helping Everyone Eat Better”
Sainsbury’s described its vision for Neighbourhood Hub stores as a “best in neighbourhood” one-stop offer, with “product choice and community at heart”.
The new format also caters to the shift seen throughout the Covid-19 pandemic across customer behaviour towards longer shopping visits.
Neighbourhood Hub stores offer a bigger selection of products in a larger variety of sizes, such as more meat and fish products, wider selection of vegetarian and vegan options, new meal kit ranges, flower bouquets and cosmetics.
Most of the Neighbourhood Hubs also feature a new Argos click-and-collect facility.
Alongside these new hub stores, a further four Sainsbury’s convenience stores have launched additional Neighbourhood Hub product ranges.
These range improvements are available at Ascot, Bishopston, and two in Hackney.
“Our newest Hub stores look great and I’m sure our customers will enjoy doing more of their shopping closer to home,” Sainsbury’s property director Patrick Dunne said.
“We’re continually investing in our store network and adapting our estate to ensure it best reflects our customers’ changing shopping habits and local demand.
“Our Neighbourhood Hubs have proved extremely popular and that has really motivated the team to open more for our customers through a combination of acquiring new sites and upgrading current stores.”
Sainsbury’s said it was working to open around 18 more Neighbourhood Hub stores over the next few years, in addition to investing in upgrading some of its current convenience stores into this new format.
In total, Sainsbury’s now has seven Neighbourhood Hub stores: Penwortham, Whitstable High Street, Billingshurst, Melbourne Derby Road, Bishop’s Waltham, Midhurst and Woodhall Spa.
Woodhall Spa was the pilot for the new format and went live in 2019 and the scheme has been rolled out since.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
