UGO Stores
IndustryRetail
FoundedJanuary 2011
DefunctFebruary 2012
HeadquartersGrantham, Lincolnshire, England, UK
Key people
Arthur Harris (CEO)
ProductsGroceries
ParentHaldanes Group (2011–2012)
Poundstretcher (2012–present)

UGO was a chain of convenience stores in the United Kingdom owned by the Haldanes Group[1] and was started in January 2011.[2]

Nuneaton's former Ugo when it sat empty in 2018, which has since been acquired

It acquired twenty mid size Netto supermarkets in the North and Midlands of England from the chain Asda, and turned them into UGO stores; these stores were in: Athersley, Ashington, Blackburn, Boothferry, Bradford, Burnley, Bury, Carcroft, Eston, Hartlepool, Hull (two stores), Kirkby, Lundwood, Monk Bretton, Nuneaton, Retford, Rotherham, Stanley and Wavertree.[3]

Additionally, the Haldanes stores in Biddulph (Staffordshire) and Broxburn (Scotland) were converted to the UGO branding; these two stores remained in the ownership of Haldanes Stores, another company in the Haldanes Group.[4][5] The UGO strategy was to double Netto's existing core range of branded grocery lines to around 3,000 more items, plus more fresher bakery items from the Haldanes acquired Woodhead Bakery.[6]

UGO have appeared twice on television in the United Kingdom. It appeared on Channel 4's Come Dine with Me[7] when a contestant was filmed shopping for the programme in the store in Blackburn, and appeared on Channel 4's Facejacker, which aired on 27 March 2012 at 10pm, in the Nuneaton store, when the self service checkout was 'taken over'.[8]

In June 2011, Haldanes Stores went into administration, and its stores closed, including the two stores branded as UGO. In February 2012, UGO Stores was itself placed in administration, and the chain was bought by Poundstretcher, in a pre-pack sale,[9][10] with 18 of the twenty stores to become part of the Poundstretcher chain[11] and the other two (Nuneaton, Hull) to close as Poundstretcher already had stores nearby.[12]

In January 2021, the last remaining vacant Ugo Supermarket space in Nuneaton was purchased after sitting empty for nine years, by independent Midlands-based family-owned retailer, 365 Bargains.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ Phillips, Beth (1 February 2012). "Troubled discounter Ugo sold to 'established national name'". The Grocer. Crawley: William Reed Business Media. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  2. ^ Soult, Graham (25 January 2011). "Haldanes pledges that UGO will be "the icing on the Netto cake"". Soult's Retail View. Gateshead. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ "UGO – The discount store with a whole lot more". Ugo Shopping. Haldane House, Grantham. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  4. ^ "All Haldanes' Nettos now trading as Ugo". The Grocer. Crawley: William Reed Business Media. 4 June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2021. Haldanes has finished rebranding all of the 20 Netto stores it bought from Asda.
  5. ^ Soult, Graham (10 June 2011). "Haldanes stores in Tattershall, Wigton, Crieff and Tranent may be saved". Soult's Retail View. Gateshead. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Woodhead Bakery in double acquisition deal". British Baker. Crawley: William Reed Business Media. 19 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  7. ^ Brooks, Beth (21 January 2012). "Ugo Stores stars in Come Dine With Me". The Grocer. Crawley: William Reed Business Media. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Facejacker – Clips – S2-Ep1: Cabbage or Cauliflower". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2021. Testing supermarket customers resolve with Ugo self service checkouts
  9. ^ Assistant, Editorial (9 February 2012). "UGO sold to Poundstretcher in pre-pack deal". Retail Gazette. Marylebone, London. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  10. ^ McAteer, Owen (8 February 2012). "Poundstretcher saves North-East UGO jobs". The Northern Echo. Darlington: Newsquest. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  11. ^ Phillips, Beth (11 February 2012). "Poundstretcher snaps up troubled Ugo chain from administration". The Grocer. Crawley: William Reed Business Media. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  12. ^ Soult, Graham (19 February 2012). "How Poundstretcher can learn a thing or two from its acquired UGO stores". Soult's Retail View. Gateshead. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  13. ^ Harrison, Claire (20 January 2021). "Ghostly Blockbuster sign emerges as town centre firm moves". The Coventry Telegraph. Coventry: Reach plc. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021. Signage has appeared on a fenced off area at the front of the former Netto store, which reads: 'Opening soon here – 365 Bargains.
  14. ^ Moore, Mason (6 February 2021). "365 Bargains open doors to new premises in former Ugo space". Hinckley Free Press. Hinckley. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021. They have quietly re-located to a more spacious and prominent former Ugo unit adjacent to Poundstretcher.
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