Local store chain First Stop News Ltd (Rippleglen) has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by James Convenience Retail (JCR), the convenience business owned and run by Jonathan and Rebecca James.

The 77 Rippleglen stores, which trade under the Supernews, Arden News and Maynews banners, will be added to the 33 JCR units already operating. JCR has entered into a long-term supply arrangement under the franchise agreement with Conviviality Plc for all 77 of the Rippleglen stores.

Rippleglen has been owned and run by a team of directors led by Mike Colley since a management buy-out in 2011. The stores are spread from Bristol in the south west to Sunderland in the north east of England, with the majority in Yorkshire and the Midlands. Outlet sizes range from 400sq ft to 2,000sq ft, and the company is the second-biggest deliverer of news in the UK, distributing more than 50,000 copies a day.

The acquisition comes just less than a year after JCR bought the former Spar-affiliated chain GT News.

JCR owner Jonathan James (pictured) told C-Store: “When I bought GT I said I wanted 100 stores within five years, but it has come about even quicker than I could have imagined.

“The acquisition of Rippleglen further strengthens our convenience store business and plays an important role in our ambitious growth plans. We look forward to working with our new colleagues and serving the communities in which the stores operate.”