Leading indie teams up with Sainburys

Leading independent retailer Paul Fisher has dropped a bombshell by revealing his Buckinghamshire shop has teamed up with Sainsbury’s.

Fisher’s of Gerrards Cross will now share the Packhorse Road premises with the multiple, occupying just a third of the store with a butchers and delicatessen, while a separate new Sainsbury’s Local will take up the other two thirds of the building.  A statement from Christie & Co said the deal was struck following increasing pressure from multiples on Fisher’s, which is the only independent supermarket in the village.

Mr Fisher said: “We have been part of the Gerrards Cross community since 1969 and needed our advisers to handle the matter professionally. With our future becoming increasingly uncertain in Gerrards we had to engage an experienced adviser to guide us in the specialist area of convenience retailing for possible solutions. The agreement reached with Sainsbury’s will allow us to continue trading in the village, which is great news for us and our customers.”

The majority of the staff currently employed by Fisher’s will have their jobs secured, with some staying to work in the new butchers shop and others being offered positions in the new Sainsbury’s Local.