Costcutter and Connex South East are to part company after opening just two joint fascia stores in what was to have been a rollout of 42 stores in railway stations.

The project has been on hold since June when Connex was told it was losing its south-east franchise at the end of the year because of poor performance.

The two stores will remain open, but further openings are unlikely. The first, in Gillingham, opened in February 2002, and a second store in Chatham opened early this year.

Costcutter trialled a railway c-store in partnership with Connex South Central at Cooden Beach, now run in partnership which Govia which took over that franchise.