40 YEARS OF CONVENIENCE

Founded in 1977, Nisa stands for Northern Independent Supermarkets Association

It was set up to fight the dominance of larger supermarket chains by offering smaller stores greater buying power

The company has over 3,000 independently owned stores and around 14,000 members

Members have to buy at least one share in the firm and can own up to 250 shares

They benefit from being part of the Nisa buying group which secures discounts on products in their stores

Nisa made a profit of £2.8m last year and is said to worth around £140m