Veteran Londis store makes move to Co-op Wholesale – the home of Nisa

Co-op Wholesale’s Nisa is set to serve the Devonshire village of Clyst St Mary after over almost 40 years of being resident to Londis. 

Opening to the public from Monday 20 July, 2026, the new Nisa convenience 1,800 sqft unit will benefit from access to Co-op brand goods specialising in food to go, drinks, top-up shopping trips and food for tonight, with a strong focus on its popular in-store bakery. Post Office and traditional village shop facilities will be located within to best serve the local Exeter community. 

Mike Howe, who now operates the shop as Nisa X Mills Stores, where his family have served the village for generations, made the decision to join Nisa thanks to the ability to range Co-op brand food and drink and share the market-leading promotions with his customers. 

Howe said: “Having been in convenience retail for so long, I’ve learnt it’s vital to keep moving with the times if you’re to stay busy and service your customer base well. Increasingly, our shoppers want excellent quality products, at a fair price, that are available when they need them, which is why Nisa was such a huge pull. The Co-op range is modern, varied, delicious and well-priced, not to mention well-recognised, so we’re sure our shoppers will be pleased to be able to shop it in our new store.” 

Nisa - Co-op Wholesale’s symbol fascia – offers a strong local independence model backed by national buying power, which is viewed as the best of both worlds and has been pivotal in the uptake of Nisa stores in villages wanting to support local producers and fulfil shoppers’ needs for great value and well-stocked product range. 

As part of the switch, Howe will receive a £500 donation from Co-op Wholesale’s charity, MADL (Making A Difference Locally), to kickstart his community funds. Established in 2008, it exists to support its retail partners the communities they serve. His chosen charity is The Firefighters Charity, which provides mental, physical and social support to members of the UK fire service and their families for life. 

Ian King, Business Development and Growth Director at Co‑op Wholesale, said: We’re delighted that Mike has chosen to continue his convenience retail business with Co‑op Wholesale and Nisa. His decision reflects the strength of our proposition and the trust retailers place in our commercial model, the Co‑op brand and the support we provide to help them grow.

The new contract comes as Co‑op Wholesale sees increasing interest from retailers seeking a more transparent, simplified and future-ready symbol model. 

ENDS 

Media Contact 

All requests should be sent to Lucy.Yates@coopwholesale.co.uk and Pressoffice@coopwholesale.co.uk 

 

Notes to editors 

• Store Name: Nisa Local 
• Store Long Name: Nisa X Mills Stores Ltd 
• Address: The Stores, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, Devon, EX5 1BR 

 

Image details 

• Image 1 – shop front 
• Image 2 - Left to right – Mike Howe, Kate Howe (wife of Mike), Peter Howe (son of Mike & Kate), Andrew Howe (son of Mike & Kate), Joan (Mike’s mother), Sally Rhodes (Mike’s sister) 
• Image 3 - Left to right –  Representative from The Firefighters Charity, Andrew Howe (son of Mike & Kate), Kate Howe (wife of Mike), Sally Rhodes (sister of Mike) 

  

About Co-op Wholesale  

Co-op Wholesale is the B2B wholesale arm of Co-op Group, one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives. Bringing the best of Co-op to trusted partners, it provides wholesale, logistics and retail support services to more than 1,200 customers across the independent retail, corporate and wholesale sectors. Home to Nisa, Co-op Wholesale combines the buying power of Co-op with trusted own-brand products, convenience retail expertise and flexible supply chain solutions to help partners grow.   

  

About Nisa  

Nisa is one of the UK’s leading convenience retail symbol groups, supporting almost 700 independent retailers across the UK. Supplied by Co-op Wholesale, Nisa gives retailers access to Co-op own-brand products, competitive pricing and expert retail support. With no standard membership fees, delivery fees or surcharges, alongside the opportunity to earn rebates of up to 6%, Nisa is committed to helping independent retailers grow sustainable businesses.   

  

This year, we were also really excited to unveil a major new chapter in the Nisa brand’s history - a fully modernised symbol group proposition that resets and elevates the Nisa experience for independent retailers. This is a complete reset of the Nisa symbol group, a stronger, simpler and more competitive offer for retailers.