RS McColl
TypeRetail
Founded1901 (1901)
OwnerMorrisons
ParentMcColl's Retail Group
WebsiteMcColls

RS McColl, colloquially known as McColl's, is a Scottish newsagent company named after Robert Smyth McColl, who was a professional footballer. It was founded in 1901 by McColl and his brother Tom.[1][2]

RS McColl is a trading name of McColl's, a subsidiary for the British Supermarket chain Morrisons. It has been a prominent Scottish confectioner and newsagent and has been owned in the past by Cadburys, Cavenham Foods and the Southland Corporation of America (7-Eleven).

Business background and history

McColls shop in York
McColls shop in Larkhall, Bath

RS McColl became part of TM Retail in November 1998, when Forbuoys (a subsidiary of TM Retail) acquired Martin Retail Group, creating Great Britain's largest chain of newsagents. In addition to RS McColl, TM Retail's former trading names include Forbuoys, Martin's, Dillons (purchased from One Stop Stores Ltd following the takeover by Tesco of parent company T&S Stores),[3] McColls and More.

In 2006, TM Retail was renamed Martin McColl Limited,[4] after a management buyout. The various stores were then rebranded variously as Martin's (news and variety stores) or McColl's (convenience stores). The only exceptions were the Scottish stores where the RS McColl name was retained. With this rebranding, all other names the company operates under were removed, these included Martins the Newsagents, More, Forbuoys and Dillons.

From 2009 to 2010, Martin McColl Limited replaced their existing electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) system with a new multi-screen touch screen system. It was hoped this would speed up the transaction process by incorporating credit and debit card systems within the EPOS. The multi-screen system allows advertising POS to be electronically displayed to customers during the time that they are at the till. By 2011, an expansion for the new system had been developed, with the addition of built-in PayPoint terminals known as PPOD.

In March 2013, Martin McColl's implemented a company-wide change in the colouring of SEL's and POS, opting for 'ivory' SEL strips and a mixture of block-coloured red and white POS material.

In August 2013, the group changed its name from Martin McColl Retail Group to McColls Retail Group.[5]

Covid-19 pandemic

In February 2020, McColl's announced its intentions to close down 330 stores over the next three or four years while it aims to concentrate its consumer retail business operations.[6] McColl's is to change its focus from newsagents to larger grocery stores after writing down the valuation of its company has brought the chain to a loss, with its dividend suspended as well.[7]

Morrisons Daily

After having Morrisons' Safeway[8] brand on around 400 product lines in over 1,300 stores since January 2018,[9][10][11] McColl's decided to take the wholesale agreement further by having 350 of their convenience stores rebranded from McColl's to Morrisons Daily.[12][13] The first rebranded stores were operating at the start of 2021, with the 100th store opening in Ellesmere Port in October 2021. McColl's hoped to have all of the 350 shops trading under the new format by the end of 2022.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Robert S. McColl - An unofficial Queen's Park FC Website" Archived 14 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed May 2011.
  2. ↑ (R S McColl Mitchell Library, The Bailie), The Glasgow Story
  3. ↑ Dillons Stores Ltd sold to TM Retail Archived 30 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ TM Retail rebranded Archived 17 September 2012 at archive.today
  5. ↑ Brooks, Beth (2 August 2013). "Martin McColl's changes name to McColl's to reflect convenience focus". The Grocer.
  6. ↑ "McColl's to close over 300 stores". Retail Gazette. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "McColl's shifts focus to convenience stores as dividend is axed". Insider. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Armstrong, Ashley (August 2017). "Morrisons brings back Safeway in McColls wholesale deal". The Telegraph.
  9. ↑ "McColl's Corporate website | Rollout of Morrisons supply".
  10. ↑ "Safeway".
  11. ↑ "Safeway is coming back! Morrisons revives supermarket brand after deal with McColl's".
  12. ↑ "300 McColl's stores to be rebranded as Morrisons Daily within three years as grocers extend supply partnership".
  13. ↑ "McColl's to focus on Morrisons Daily offer".
  14. ↑ "McColl's beats target to launch 100th Morrisons Daily store - Retail Gazette". 21 October 2021.
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