Safeway will invest more than£100 million in new and expanded stores in Northern Ireland, returning to new-builds after a two-year hiatus.
The fourth-placed UK grocer wants to grow its market share in the province.
In Northern Ireland, it is behind market leader Tesco with a 12.4 per cent share.
The investment will fund three new stores - at Bangor, Antrim and Hydebank in Belfast - next year, while outlets in Strabane, Ballyclare and Enniskillen will be replaced by larger stores.
The grocer also announced that its year-on-year sales growth in Northern Ireland has increased by 5 per cent.
Safeway supply chain director Lawrence Christensen said: 'We want to build on our current success here through the substantial£100 million investment programme we have planned. The roll-out of our new store programme will help grow our presence here.'
The move in Northern Ireland echoes Safeway's plans on this side of the Irish Sea. It plans to embark on a significant opening programme next year following a focus on updating and revamping its current store portfolio in recent years.
In July, Safeway took full control of its business in Northern Ireland when it bought the remaining 50 per cent stake from Tony O'Reilly's Fitzwilton.
As a result, Safeway will take a hit of£45 million against its profit-and-loss account.
Separately, Safeway is to trial a TV campaign in Scotland. The supermarket business has not advertised on TV since its 'Harry and Molly' ads ended a four-year run in 1999.
The new campaign goes live today, featuring the tagline 'A Fresher Way'.
No comments yet