Symbol group

A symbol group is a form of franchise of convenience shops, found primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They do not own or operate shops, but act as suppliers to independent shops which then trade under a common banner.

An example of a Centra shop on Stranmills Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Unlike other forms of franchise, they have expanded primarily by selling their services to existing shops, rather than by actively developing new outlets. Examples of such franchises are Spar, Londis, Nisa Local and Centra.

An example of a Nisa Local shop

Groups

Symbol groups include:

Booker Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tesco.

Market

In 2014, the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) reported that the symbol group market is worth £15.5bn, with a 42% share of the UK convenience market through 17,080 shops.[5]

In the 2010s there was significant consolidation in the sector, as Tesco purchased Booker and the Co-operative Group purchased Nisa.

See also
  • Co-op Food which has a similar corporate structure, although is not usually considered a symbol group.
  • Edeka, a German grocery chain which has a structure similar to a symbol group

References
  1. Londis http://www.londis.co.uk/about-us/
  2. Costcutter Supermarkets Group http://www.costcuttersupermarketsgroup.com/about-us/
  3. Daily Post, http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/what-tescos-merger-booker-could-12517344
  4. "Co-op buys Nisa for £143m after members back takeover". the Guardian. 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  5. "Symbol groups: market overview". The Institute of Grocery Distribution. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
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