Sainsbury’s completes first store conversion of 2025 following acquisitions
Sainsbury’s has completed its first store conversion of the year, following the acquisition of 14 retail sites last autumn.
The new store, located in Felixstowe, spans 19,000 sq ft and is the supermarket retailer’s first in the Suffolk town.
Sainsbury’s said that over the next two years, it will add over 400,000 sq ft of new space to its estate, its most significant expansion push in recent years. This is combined with the retailer’s plans to open another 25 convenience stores during the same period.
The new store is part of 14 sites – which are predominantly former Homebase stores – acquired by the retailer in autumn 2024. These also included two stores acquired from East of England Co-op.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s chief property and procurement officer and managing director of Smart Charge, said: “We were delighted to open our fantastic supermarket in Felixstowe, putting Sainsbury’s on the doorstep of customers in the town for the first time.
“It was also an exciting moment for our business as the launch marks the first of many brilliant new supermarkets we plan to open over the next two years, following our strategic decision to acquire 14 new sites for conversion into Sainsbury’s last year. Our bold plan is driven by our belief in the strength of Sainsbury’s offer and our commitment to bringing more of our delicious, high-quality and great value food within easy reach of more customers.
“We’ve worked diligently to transform the Felixstowe site into a new Sainsbury’s store in just a few months and we will continue to convert many more of the sites we’ve acquired for launch over the next two years, as well as opening more new stores from our existing pipeline of purpose-built supermarkets.”