Low cost easy brand looking at canned supermarket

The man who founded low cost airline easyJet has said he will launch a pilot food store selling mainly canned goods.

easyGroup chairman Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (pictured) this week clarified the nature and scope of this new brand extension.

He said, “I have a feeling that there is a gap in the food retail market – a niche below some of the current budget operators such as Aldi and Lidl.

“It is very early days in the project and I was not planning any announcements but press speculation has been somewhat wide of the mark. And I have decided to clarify a few points.

“The pilot store will concentrate on affordable, basic no-brand-name packet and tinned foods at bargain prices, easyFoodstore underlines the need for additional reliable day-to-day provision of basic foodstuffs. No other details have yet been decided.”

The pilot will be based in the UK in South London in a building already housing other businesses owned by Sir Stelios.

He added, “If the pilot site shows there is a need for this offering, easyfoodstore could be rolled out on a wider basis from 2014 onwards using freehold retail sites – buying into the weaker real estate prices in that sector.

“I hope that a commercially viable venture offering affordable food will help many people in need as well as produce a viable return for the capital employed.”