KWIK Save in Crewe has been taken over by a new company planning to give the supermarket a face-lift.

The move has saved 16 jobs at the Edleston Road store and stemmed fears the site could be sold to developers.

Founded in 1965 in Rhyl, the Kwik Save chain was taken over by Somerfield in 1998 in a bid to fend off competition from rivals Tesco and Asda.

But yesterday Somerfield announced it was selling the Kwik Save brand and transferring 171 stores to a specially-formed company called Back To The Future Ltd (BTTF).

In Stoke-on-Trent 80 jobs will be lost with the closure of the Hanley, Stoke, Tunstall and Cheadle Kwik Save stores.

A sister store in Crewe was sold last year. Apartments are now being built on the Delamere Street site.

Paul Niklas, the new managing director of Kwik Save Ltd, said: 'BTTF Limited has been specifically formed for the purpose of acquiring Kwik Save.

'In a deal involving the full transfer of assets of these stores, all staff will become employees of BTTF Ltd.

'There will be no redundancies from the stores involved in this acquisition. BTTF Limited will continue to trade using the Kwik Save brand.

'We will, over time, be refreshing the store image while maintaining the existing offer of quality branded products at competitive prices.

'We will also be looking for opportunities to source local produce wherever possible, to bring local products direct to the local community.'

A head office has been established at Huddlersfield and recruitment is underway to fill 50 posts.