Tesco’s convenience fascia One Stop has acquired 77 stores from Mills Group as part of its long term expansion plans.

The acquisition brings the total One Stop store count to 598 across England and Wales.

One Stop chief executive David Turner said: “This is exciting news for One Stop. Acquiring 77 Mills stores means we can introduce One Stop’s quality, range and value to the communities they serve. We’ll be investing in refurbishing the stores, creating an even better shopping experience, as well as bringing down prices. I am also delighted to welcome the staff in these stores to the One Stop team.” 

Mills Group chief executive Nigel Mills said: “We are pleased to have agreed this deal. These stores and their staff will be in great hands with One Stop. They’re joining a brilliant team and will be very well looked after. I want to thank them for all their work and wish them the very best for the future.”

However, the Association of Convenience Stores has called on the Office of Fair Trading to intervene in the acquisition.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The competition authorities have repeatedly failed to grasp the implications of the continuing growth of Tesco’s shadow brand. We need a full and robust investigation into the implications of the continued growth of the One Stop format.”