Safeway has abandoned plans for a chain of Cafe Fresco restaurants and instead will convert the concept into a cafe bar after piloting a compact version in Welywn Garden City in Hertfordshire last December. The smaller cafe format is licensed, but it specialises in snacks and coffee. It seats only 20 diners, with an informal cafe bar area at the front, trading in line with store opening hours. Safeway is deciding on a name for the concept, which will roll out to refurbished stores. Cafe Fresco Express is one of the possibilities. Safeway said it would open 40 Frescos by 2002 and claimed the proposition was strong enough to ensure 20% of customers were in store to eat and not to shop. But local bylaws stymied plans for longer opening hours and there were only two Frescos by the turn of the year. {{NEWS }}

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