The sale announced last Friday saw the country’s largest independent grocery and liquor wholesaler Metcash Trading Ltd agree to sale of its Franklins store in Singleton.

Singleton will become home to two stores bearing the same name Richies IGA but located at either end of the town with one at Town Square and the other at Singleton Plaza.

Ritchies Stores, chief executive officer, Fred Harrison said it was not unusual for the company to operate two stores in the one town.

“In fact we have similar situations with our stores in various towns in Victoria,” Mr Harrison said.

Mr Harrison said the existing 140 store employees from both the stores would continue to work for the company and he is hoping to expand employee numbers as the company expands its operations in Singleton.

The Franklins site at Singleton Plaza will undergo refurbishment to allow for an expansion of product range and improve the appearance and efficiency of the store, Mr Harrison said.

“We are confident we will turn the Singleton Franklins store around quickly as an IGA store. The supermarket will provide locals with exactly the package grocery and fresh products they want at very competitive prices,” he said.

Metcash, which supplies groceries to all the nation’s IGA stores, only got the go ahead to buy the Franklin stores in November 30, last year when the company won a victory over the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in the Federal Court.

The Federal Court dismissed the ACCC’s appeal against Metcash’s acquisition of the Franklins stores.

The sale of Franklins in Singleton coincided with the sale of an additional eight other New South Wales Franklins stores to Ritchies IGA.