Waitrose extends its Unpacked trial
The Waitrose supermarket chain is expanding its ‘Unpacked’ trial where customers can fill their own containers with products.
Waitrose originally planned to run the trial at its store in Oxford’s Botley Road until 18 August, but will now extend it to beyond this date. It will also introduce elements of the concept into three further shops by the end of the year.
The supermarket said feedback on the trial has been “overwhelmingly positive”. In June, over 200 products were taken out of their packaging to test how customers might be prepared to shop differently. The trial has seen 7,000 customers provide comments through in-store feedback walls, customer interviews, a dedicated website page and social media.
Unpacked will now form part of Waitrose’s new look stores to be unveiled in Cheltenham in September and Abingdon and Wallingford in November. All three shops will have a dedicated refillable zone where there will be dispensers for items such as dried products, frozen ‘pick and mix’, coffee, wine and beer refills, detergent and washing up liquid.
Tor Harris, head of CSR for Waitrose & Partners, said: “The reaction to Waitrose Unpacked has been incredible with the invaluable feedback from thousands of customers giving us the confidence that they are prepared to change how they shop with us.
“We are keen to take the Unpacked concept forward and these additional tests will help us achieve this as well as understand its commercial viability. Through working with our customers and suppliers we will continue to learn and develop ideas which have the potential to be rolled out more widely.”
