Nisa insiders have told us that the Sainsbury’s and Nisa deal, offering a proposed three-tier model for the combined businesses, is likely to go ahead.

There’s been a lot of coverage in both trade and national press about a revolt among Nisa members unhappy with the proposed takeover, but while there’s no doubt there will be discontent among a portion of retailers, all of those we’ve spoken to are feeling positive.

They want the right terms, of course, but they’re excited about what advantages it can offer their stores.

Retail Express' Magnificent Seven columnist Harj Dhasee is just one of these. “The investment in the sector is really empowering for independent retailers,” he
told us.

It’s not just those directly affected by the Nisa-Sainsbury’s discussions who will be paying close attention.

When we covered Sainsbury’s plan to move into convenience franchising in May, we received calls from several independent retailers looking to find out whether it was something they could get involved in.

The surprise announcement that Tesco and Booker had agreed to merge at the start of the year has got the whole industry thinking differently about how to do convenience retailing.

To many, multiple retailers are no longer the bad guys. They’re an opportunity to grow an independent business, become more competitive and become much more profitable.