High-profile Spar retailer Paul Stone is set top open his sixth and seventh stores - including his first outside Manchester city centre.

On Friday (29 January) he will open his sixth store, a former McColl’s store, at Manchester University. The seventh store - located in the town of Marple near Stockport - is due to open in February with a strong focus on food to go and missions.

Formerly a Premier, the Marple store will feature Spar’s Daily Deli fixture and Paul’s Cheeky Coffee brand, as well as outside seating. Manager Alex Brown will have a financial stake in the business.

He will compete against a nearby a Co-op forecourt and 6,000sq ft Asda town centre store. The multiple bought the former Co-op store after local residents and businesses successfully campaigned against the opening of an edge-of-town Asda supermarket in 2013.

“We want to target school mums returning from the school run and the ‘white van man’,” Paul told C-Store. “It’s all about the missions.”

Paul has also just installed a new bake off fixture and Cheeky Coffee unit at his store in Piccadilly.