Convenience retail veteran David Sands is returning to the sector with a new store – trading under the Nisa Local fascia – in Glenrothes.
The industry stalwart, who sold his long-established David Sands business to The Co-operative Food for an undisclosed sum in 2012, will open his brand new store, located on the former site of a well-known local pub in theFifetown’sCaskieberran Road, in March.
Keith Fernie, a senior manager and buyer with the former David Sands group, has been brought in as managing director of David’s Kitchen, and will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. He has been supervising the construction of the new store and is currently recruiting staff.
The other directors of the new business are David’s father Lindsay Sands and his sister, Marjorie Watts – both were directors of David Sands.
Positioned very firmly at the heart of the Rimbleton community, the Nisa Local store will stock all the usual products and services local people need, want and use every day. A key feature, however, will be the David’s Kitchen range of ‘Food to Go’ products – named after David Sands and using the same branding and logo as a similar range of products developed by the former Sands retail business.
Commenting on his return to retail, David Sands, who has been developing a number of property interests since selling his fifth-generation family business, said: “It’s great to be back in the high-profile convenience store arena and I’m absolutely delighted to have Keith Fernie on board – he is an extremely trusted colleague, vastly experienced and the ideal person to have at the helm of this exciting new business. Keith will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the business with the support of Nisa, the largest independent grocery buying group in theUK, with whom we have previously enjoyed a long and highly successful partnership.”
The store will trade from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, providing a comprehensive range of fresh and chilled produce, frozen foods, grocery, alcohol, crisps and snacks, confectionery, soft drinks, newspapers and magazines. It will have an ATM and customers will benefit from a 26-vehicle car park.
David’s Kitchen, meanwhile, is an exclusive range of quality sandwiches, soups, wraps, fruit bowls, salad pots and ready meals – freshly prepared every day by staff in the store’s own in-store kitchen. Another service will be an in-store bakery counter, a partnership with a local baker providing customers with fresh rolls, cakes and savouries.
“Our mission is to provide great customer service, tasty fresh food, quality and value for money in a modern convenience store that is at the very heart of the local community,” said Keith Fernie. “What’s more, we’ll have fantastic promotions from Nisa – all designed to help our customers make great savings on essential products.”
Fernie also confirmed that the store intends to emulate the former David Sands business by supporting local and Scottish producers, providing customers with interesting products that aren’t widely available anywhere else locally.
