SANDWICH chain Benjys yesterday announced plans to open 50 stores and have another 90 vans on the road in the next year.

The £6m expansion will take it into locations including Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield, bringing its total number of outlets to 330, including franchised delivery vehicles.

Chief executive Ian Rickwood, who has run the business with his wife, Emma, since 2000, said the company had a strong presence in London and the South-East and wanted to move into the rest of the country by the end of 2006.

He said: "With the UK sandwich market worth around £3.5bn, we want to increase our share across the nation."

In the past year, Benjys spent £4m opening 25 stores and 60 mobile units, mainly in the capital and on the south coast.