Yahoo Finance Booths, 'the Waitrose of the North', sets up shop in Malaysia
Booths, the upmarket northern grocery chain, has chosen to set up shop 6,588 miles away rather than attempt to crack the South of England.
The family-owned retailer, which started life in Blackpool in 1847, has taken its first steps out of the north west with a joint venture in Malaysia.
An agreement with the giant Hong Kong-listed retailer Dairy Farm, owned by Jardine Matheson, will see Booths sell 40 of its best-selling products, including chutneys, jams and puddings, in 19 shops across Malaysia.
Edwin Booth, the company’s chairman and part of the fifth generation of the family to be involved in the firm, said: “They like that there are people called Booth who love what they sell… and the heritage gives people a great deal of reassurance.”
Booths, which is often referred to as the “Waitrose of the North”, will also shortly be launching an online gifting service after the success of last year’s Christmas hamper deliveries.
It will mean that Northerners in exile will be able to order selections of the retailer’s wines, tea, chocolates and beer from the North Country.
Mr Booth also revealed that Booths had been watching Morrisons’ wholesale deal with Amazon Fresh. He said the small grocer would be interested in pursuing a similar deal.
