Arcadia tycoon Sir Philip Green is considering a convenience food format in which he may plan to open convenience stores in his BHS branches.
A final decision has not yet been made about whether to take on retailers such as Marks & Spencers and Tesco’s but Bhs already has cafes and restaurants in its shops which serve up to 250,000 customers a week.
Sir Philip Green is said to be confident in the demand for a food offering at BHS, after research revealed that 80% of the retailer’s customers would be happy to be able to purchase food alongside the other lines stocked. Green said: “Every one of the major supermarkets seems to think it [convenience] is the way to go. Our customers have said they’d like to buy food. We might have a shot at it.”
He continued by indicating that if a decision was made to go ahead, the likelihood would be that it would appoint “a world champion” in food retail to lead the operation.
Green also dismissed speculation about his plans to sell Bhs. He said: “We are not in negotiations with anybody, at all.”
