Supermarket firm Sainsbury's is launching a chain of 24-hour town centre stores in a bid to get back on the high street.

Trading under the name "Sainsbury's Local", the first mini-store is due to open in London in June and two more are planned before the end of the year.

The decision to return to the high street is seen as a direct challenge to rival Tesco, which operates a chain of nearly 40 town centre stores under the brand Tesco Metro.

For years Sainsbury's has ignored the high street in favour of large out-of-town superstores.

Tesco has led the way with its return to the high street

The company's new, smaller shops will each be run by 25 staff and specialise in takeaway meals.

They will also sell a limited range of regular Sainsbury's items such as newspapers, sweets and tobacco.

The concept is different from Tesco in-town stores, which are more like scaled down versions of its superstores.

Sainsbury's departure is seen as part of a wider trend by large retailers to "down-size" in an effort to cater for high street shoppers.

Marks & Spencer has already announced plans to open branches in railway stations and hospitals and is working on a late-opening store in Covent Garden, central London.

Once the most successful supermarket chain in Britain, Sainsbury's has lost ground to Tesco in recent years. Tesco is now top in the food retail sector.
 

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