Sainsbury’s has closed its trial Fresh Kitchen sandwich store.
The grocer said it will not renew the lease on the current store after admitting the high footfall in store had forced it to “compromise” on quality and service.
The store opened last January as Sainsbury’s attempted to make further inroads into the lucrative lunchtime sandwich and snack market.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We opened the Fresh Kitchen concept store a little over a year ago and have learnt a great deal from the trial.
“We’ve learnt for example what the ideal footprint should be and we don’t want to compromise on either quality or service by staying in the Fleet Street store.
He added: “While we may come back to the high street in the future with a bigger and slightly different offering, we are not going to renew the lease for the current store.”
The store, which features a black and white interior with dark wood around the upper perimeter and slate grey terrazzo tiles on the floor, was designed by London design consultancy Twelve Studio.
Sainsbury’s reports its fourth quarter results next Wednesday. The grocer is expected to record a 2% uplift in like-for-like sales thanks to an “effective” Brand Match programme, analyst Shore Capital said.
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