Eight LittleFresh stores planned in London by the end of 2022

It has already opened one in Moorgate in November and two further stores are planned in Buckingham Gate and Baker St early in 2022.

The model, which is aimed at major city centres, is for stores of between 300-600 sq ft offering fresh food-to-go alongside a limited convenience store service.

Davinder Jheeta, creative director at Simply Fresh, said: “What LittleFresh does is offer consumers a food-to-go range, on Simply Fresh principles with healthy products, alongside the things you might find in typical CTN stores.

“So people can pick up their lunch, a paper and a packet of cigarettes if they want to.”

Jheeta said that for now, the plans are for the brand to stay in London and that they will be like a small version of the full-sized Simply Fresh stores.

The shops will be “little” both in floorspace and the range of products for sale.

He said: “You will find some things there but you won’t get the full range – no toilet roll or baby food for example.”

The format is not new. Four years ago LittleFresh was given a London trial in Victoria and since then it has been set up in private contract sites run by foodservice specialists Compass and Sodexho.

Jheeta said: “Those are effectively behind closed doors so this is really the launch of the brand for the public more generally.”

The Moorgate and the Buckingham Gate stores are both being run by independent retailer Jasvinder Randhawa, who also runs Simply Fresh stores in London.