YORK-based supermarket group Costcutter has reported the expansion of its store portfolio beyond the 2,600 mark after starting the year with the addition of more than 40 stores.

Following what the Dunnington-headquartered group has described as being a “positive first quarter”, the business has seen its number of Costcutter, Mace, Kwiksave, SuperShop and Simply Fresh stores total 2,625, representing a net increase of 41 stores in the three months of 2015.

Store numbers have increased in all regions and includes eight retailers joining from Nisa so far in 2015. The group said its overall store growth trend is predicted to continue through 2015, due to a strong pipeline of new retailers who are actively considering joining.

Daniel Quest, retail director of Costcutter Supermarkets Group, said: “Having more than 2,600 retailers in our group is a pleasing milestone to cross. The simpler pricing, no membership fees and no order fees which we introduced in 2014 when we entered our partnership with P&H is obviously attractive .

“With a portfolio that can cater for any retailer and support from our field teams, we are in a strong position to provide the sort of partnership independent retailers require in today’s market.”