Somerfield

Somerfield Stores Ltd
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1875 (1875)
Defunct2011 (2011)
FateBrand retired in favour of parent's "The Co-operative" brand
HeadquartersBristol, England, UK (1875–2009)
Manchester, England, UK (2009–2011)
ProductsGroceries
Revenue£4.221 billion (2007 – 2008)
£226 million
OwnerThe Co-operative Group
Number of employees
50,000
ParentThe Co-operative Food

Somerfield (/ˈsʌmərfld/ SUM-ər-feeld) was a chain of small to medium-sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The business started life in the 19th century as grocers J. H. Mills, and after a series of buyouts and mergers, the company became known as Gateway. A major rebranding to the newly-created Somerfield brand started in 1990, and in 1998 the company purchased the Kwik Save chain of discount food stores. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth-largest food retailer. The Somerfield name was replaced by the Co-operative brand in a rolling programme of store conversions ending in summer 2011.