Southern Co-op has hired Richard Scrimgeour as its new franchise operations manager.
The society said Scrimgeour would help widen its capacity for new partnership opportunities, with 73 stores currently sitting under the Welcome fascia.
He took up the newly created role on Monday, bringing 20 years of industry experience to the business. Most recently, Scrimgeour held the role as head of central operations at wholesale giant Bestway for five months, following several senior positions at Nisa including sales and transformation lead and head of retail operations.
“We are continuing to grow the number of our Welcome stores at a controlled pace – making sure all our franchisees have access to strong support and our experienced guidance wherever they are located,” said Southern Co-op franchise business manager Mike Fitton.
“We’ve proved how successful our model can be to our existing franchisees who we are delighted to see choosing to rebrand their wider portfolios as Welcome in partnership with Southern Co-op, bringing the Welcome brand to many new areas.
“We are delighted to have Richard on board as he brings with him strong retail knowledge and experience which can only strengthen our existing franchise offering.”
Scrimgeour added: “Hearing about the support package available for Welcome franchisees made my decision to join Welcome a very easy one.
“I am looking forward to working closely with and supporting the Welcome franchisees, and to help grow the number of franchisees as Welcome expands its coverage further.”
Welcome stores are found in neighbourhood, forecourts and village locations, highlighting the format’s adaptability to suit various types of retailers, Southern Co-op said.
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