Somerfield clears the way for a rival food store

The store group has confirmed it will not be making a further appeal against a Competition Commission ruling that it should sell 12 supermarkets, including its former High Street, Littlehampton, premises, to rival operators.

Last week, it was announced that Somerfield had lost its initial appeal against the commission, but now the company has ruled out another challenge through the courts.

Somerfield has also confirmed that it is now starting to "actively market" the Littlehampton High Street store to other food retailers.

"We cannot confirm the timescale, as we cannot predict when we will find a suitable buyer for the store," said a spokeswoman for Somerfield.

The High Street supermarket closed a year ago last week, after Somerfield took over the Safeway store at Avon Road, on the outskirts of the town centre.

A few months later, the Competition Commission launched an inquiry into the purchase of that and 11 other Safeway outlets, and the verdict was that the deal had significantly harmed competition in each of the towns.

Traders in the area near the High Street Somerfield suffered badly after the store closed, with some reporting takings down by as much as 30 per cent.

They will be hoping the supermarket is back in business as soon as possible, breathing new life into the town centre.