C-Store Goes Into Supermarket Business
By George Anderson
Just-Food.com reported yesterday that Mace, an Irish convenience store chain with more than 450 stores, plans to open 30 supermarkets by 2004.
Conor Whelan, chairman, Mace Ireland, told the Irish Times, “This new store format represents part of Mace segmentation strategy to grow the Mace business in Ireland.”
Mr. Whelan said the new Mace supermarkets would help the chain “satisfy the new and emerging opportunity for daily shopping.”
Moderator’s Comment: Do you see US convenience store operators opening/acquiring big box stores similar to what Mace is doing Ireland? What do you see
as the upside/downside to this strategy?
Up till now, it has been supermarkets getting into the convenience store business. [George
Anderson – Moderator]
