Somerfield - Co-op Takeover
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hi dan,
last i heard was that the co-op was reviewing both their own structures and somerfields. And would be coming up- with a new structure to move both companies forwards.
not heard much for a long time.The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits0 -
Dan - I presume by system supervisor you mean someone who looks after the ordering process? We call it SBO (sales based ordering) and we do have SBO clerks/supervisors (dependant on store size) so there will be a similar position when the takeover is complete. But as has already been said I expect there will be many changes to store structures, hopefully for the better.0
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Some of the decisions will come from the Competition Commission. If the only two supermarkets in a town are Sommerfield and the Co-op, the CC will have to make Sommerfield to sell one of these to the market. As most Sommerfields and Co-ops are small, I reckon Sainsburys will buy some of them up for the Sainsburys Local brand. The CC do this as customers would have a monopoly for food shopping.
My ex worked (probably still does works) for Morrisons and he told me re Safeway/Morrisons takeover some stores they had to sell off. Morrisons chose the better of the two (probably the biggest of the two) in a town. Whether that's better for them or the customer, I don't know.
I know Safeway did have some redundancies, but couldn't tell you where they were in the organisation etc."The reason we're successful, darling? My overall charisma, of course." -- Freddie Mercury
Friends are kisses blown to us by angels - Anon.0 -
there was an announcement today that 126 somerfield stores will be closing ( more likely being sold to a 'suitable competitor' - i have heard tesco express and waitrose linked to some stores). however some of the stores in this area that i thought would close due to their proximity to a coop are not being sold. so i can only guess that the co-op store is getting sold.
i'll post anything else i can find out.The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits0 -
From the Oxford Mail...
Stores may be closed
6:52pm Wednesday 29th October 2008
Supermarkets may close or be sold off if a £1.6bn offer by the Co-op to take over the Somerfield chain goes ahead.
Some of the chains' branches are in close proximity, such as in Headington and Summertown, in Oxford, Abingdon and Chipping Norton, which the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) regulations may require to be disposed of under competition law.
OFT spokesman Corinne Gladstone said she could not say which stores would be affected or when a decision would be made.
She added: "With two names that are merging, there is diminished competition to other properties. The Co-operative has given us another statement to show they are going to divest.
"The OFT is considering this for areas where there is an overlap with particular stores."
Abingdon pensioner Noel Boyle, of Audlett Drive, said he was concerned the town could lose an alternative to Waitrose.
He said: "If Somerfield went, there would be a lack of competition. It does have a fair amount of customers in there and it would be sad to see it go."
Headington off-licence worker Jason Stimpsoncor said: "It would be sad to see either one of them go as for as long as I can remember they have been trading. It would be sad for quite a few people."
A Co-op spokesman said staff who may be affected had been briefed."If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
-- Thomas Jefferson0 -
from the ft..
The OFT orders Co-op store sales
By Kiran Stacey
Published: October 21 2008 03:00 | Last updated: October 21 2008 03:00
The Co-op must dispose of 126 local stores if it is to complete its purchase of Somerfield, the Office of Fair Trading has ruled.
The OFT said the proposed £1.57bn deal would not damage competition nationally but could have a negative effect on a local level. The two companies have agreed to find suitable buyers for the local stores for the OFT to approve.
The merged company would have a market share of about 8 per cent of the national grocery market, leaving it more able to compete with the "big four" supermarkets - Tesco, J Sainsbury, Asda and Wm Morrison.
Both the Co-op and Somerfield welcomed the OFT's announcement.
Kiran Stacey
The OFT's Press Release is here...
http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2008/120-08
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
-- Thomas Jefferson0 -
My partner is a store manager for Somerfield, WFM (Work Force Management) is only as good as the information you put in, and his staff are really happy with the way it works for them, but it is a small store.
As for selling stores off, they HAVE to be sold to a competitor who MUST carry on running the store as a supermarket, they are not allowed to close the store down after purchase, apart from refitting it!
Sainsburys have purchased 22 existing Somerfield Sites and 2 Co-operative Food Sites for conversion.Shell24070 -
WFM only works when you have a workforce who have the flexibility and willingness to work with it.
The other issue with it is that if it cannot fill a shift it does not slot those hours in elsewhere. it simply writes off that shift. So if the staff who were meant to filling the shelves are pulled onto checkouts to cover a missing shift, the replenishment simply isn't done.
as its primary driver is sales (time and volume) it should be used to schedule the checkouts and nothing else.
I haven't had any technical involvement with the system for over a year now so it might have changed.The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits0 -
Spar and morrisons queuing up to buy stores.0
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Somerfield in Newquay, Cornwall has been sold to Sainsburys.
There was already a Co-Op a mile away, neither shop ever has more than 12 people in it... nearest Sainsburys is about 17-18 miles away.0
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