EasyFoodstore forced to close after it runs out of stock

EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s budget food store, which charges just 25p each for everyday groceries, has been forced to close temporarily after less than two days as it has run out of stock.

EasyFoodstore closed on Wednesday afternoon and is expected to reopen on Friday morning after it has re-stocked the shelves.

A spokesman for easyFoodstore, in Park Royal, north-west London, said: “The level of interest has been completely overwhelming. The last people through the door today had travelled up from Canterbury.

“We anticipated we had enough stock to last a couple of weeks but it has just gone in a day and a half.”

The retailer, which has the slogan “No expensive brands. Just food honestly priced”, says it still plans to sell its items for 25p each throughout February as an introductory offer. Prices will then go up but are expected to remain very low.

The store appears to have captured the imagination of shoppers as a step on from the fast-growing German discounters Aldi and Lidl, which have forced major supermarket chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons to close stores and cut prices.

EasyFoodstore sells a range of just 76 grocery items including pasta, biscuits and beans. It does not sell fresh meat or fruit and vegetables.

Haji-Ioannou first announced plans to open a discount food store in August 2013. Back then, he said the idea was inspired by the widespread use of food banks. His charity has long handed out free food to struggling families in Greece and Cyprus.

A mock easyFoodstore was built in Croydon a year later, but the tycoon’s plans appeared to stall, with the first shop opening for customers this week. The store is intended to be a pilot for a chain.

Haji-Ioannou and his family still own about 35% of easyJet and are the biggest shareholders. He has already expanded the “easy” brand into a string of other industries, creating easyCar, easyHotel, easyGym and easyProperty.