Sainsbury’s has announced plans to accelerate its convenience store openings in London and the south east of the UK.

The country’s third-largest retailer wants to increase its network in the region by one-third by “early 2014”. The group operates 150 Sainsbury’s Local stores in the area and will open a further 50 outlets in the area under the new scheme.

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“Sainsbury’s has an unrivalled history in London and the south east with our first store opening in Drury Lane in 1869 and these new stores carry on this tradition. The new Locals will be located on high streets and in the heart of communities, providing access to healthy, quality food at fair prices,” Sainsbury’s convenience director Simon Twigger said.

The increase in store numbers will be supported by a “new state of the art” distribution centre at Thameside. This facility will exclusively supply the convenience store business and will create 350 jobs when fully up and running.

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