A NEW supermarket chain which was launched in the UK two months ago and prides itself on offering locally-sourced food is set to open a store in Ramsey. Haldanes Stores Ltd has added eight Co-op/Somerfield stores to its portfolio which consisted of 15 sup

A NEW supermarket chain which was launched in the UK two months ago and prides itself on offering locally-sourced food is set to open a store in Ramsey.

Haldanes Stores Ltd has added eight Co-op/Somerfield stores to its portfolio which consisted of 15 supermarkets in Scotland and three in England.

One of the newly acquired stores is the Somerfield at 22 Great Whyte, Ramsey, which is set to open as a Haldanes in March or April.

In a statement company chairman Arthur Harris said all existing jobs would be safe.

Haldane is the first mid-size supermarket chain to open in Britain for nearly 30 years.

Mr Harris said the company's policy is built around selling local produce.

"Other supermarket groups have boasted a reputation for good quality products, but we will go further than that," he said. "We'll be dedicating a higher percentage to freshly grown, local products.

"That policy with also extend to using local bakers and butchers as suppliers."

He added: "People have been asking us why we are taking what they see as such a bold move in the face of a recession. My answer is that this opportunity presented itself to us to acquire some excellent stores with some fantastic staff."

The opportunity to buy stores from the Co-operative Group stems from an agreement between Co-op and the Office of Fair Trading which required the group to sell 133 outlets following its takeover of Somerfield.

A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said the Ramsey store would be sold as a going concern with the staff will automatically transferring to Haldanes.

The spokesman said employees were fully briefed about the OFT decision and thanked staff "for their commitment and hard work".

The Haldanes store began trading in November and is set to open its first UK store at Tattershall in Lincolnshire on January 26.

It will also open stores in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, Dovercourt in Essex, Carterton in Oxfordshire, Pwllheli, North Wales, Royton, near Oldham in Lancashire, Wigton in Cumbria and Biddulph, Staffordshire.