UK Convenience Store Count Remains Steady

In the UK, the number of convenience stores remains more or less the same, according to IGD Retail Analysis and William Reed Business Media. Data from the companies revealed the rate of store openings in the multiple segment slowed from over 10 percent in 2015 to 5 percent in 2016. Also, the unaffiliated independent stores segment recorded some growth, compared with declines in recent years. Oil companies have sold more than 400 fuel retailing sites to independent dealers, driving the change in ownership structure in the forecourt stores segment.