Sainsbury’s set to buy Nisa as it continues battle with Tesco over small stores
Sainsbury’s is said to be close to making an offer for the convenience store chain
BOSSES at Sainsbury’s parent company have entered into exclusive talks to buy convenience store chain Nisa.
The deal, worth around £130 million, follows Tesco’s £3.7 billion takeover of Booker, the wholesale retailer that runs the Londis and Budgens chains.
The board of Nisa, which is owned by its shopkeeper members, recently hired bankers to advise on its options after a number of buyers came forward.
It’s now understood that Sainsbury’s will make a formal offer for Nisa but it is not known how the deal will work, if accepted.
The decision to sell up, which was first reported by , could cause controversy among Nisa’s members.
The Nisa chain was founded in 1977 and describes itself as a “family of independent grocers”.
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The deal between Tesco and Booker is currently being investigated by competition watchdogs before it can go-ahead.
Booker has around 5,400 stores in its network which all trade under the Premier, Londis, Budgens and Family Shopper brands.
The move comes after years of falling sales for Tesco, which has lost significant market share to other UK supermarkets, including discount chains Aldi and Lidl.
A spokesperson from Nisa declined to comment.
The Sun Online has contacted Sainsbury’s for a comment.
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