Waitrose to open up to 100 convenience shops in next five years
Waitrose is increasing its investment in its store portfolio with plans to open up to 100 UK convenience over the next five years.
The supermarket will launch its first new store in six years at Hampton Hill later this year, subject to planning approval, and launch a second in Greater London early in the new year.
The openings will trigger one of Waitrose’s biggest expansion periods with a record £1 billion investment planned for new stores and improvements to 150 existing shops in next three years.
Waitrose’s newly opened John Barnes shop in London’s Finchley Road will be used to test new concepts while new services, product offerings and concept upgrades will be also be trialled over the next 12 months at shops in Sudbury and Maidenhead. This will be followed by blueprint for Waitrose shops being revealed in 2025.
James Bailey, executive director for Waitrose, explained: “Waitrose will always offer fantastic food, but the groundwork we have undertaken behind the scenes in recent years means we can now focus on growth through new shops and ensuring our existing ones are providing great shopping experiences that match the quality of our products.
“The transformation of our Finchley Road store marks the next evolution of our journey to create a great shopping experience for our customers, underpinned by a high-quality product offering tailored to the local area, and the quality service we are synonymous with.
“In designing the store, we have taken time to understand how our customers like to shop, and used this knowledge to introduce new concepts that will be tested and rolled out nationally as we continue to work towards the Waitrose of the future.”
Waitrose has been investing in value and innovation this year to help “attract and excite” customers. This has included lowering hundreds of prices, the relaunch of its premium No.1 range, the agreement of exclusive partnerships with Yotam Ottolenghi and ZOE’s Daily30+, and the acquisition of the Dishpatch restaurant-quality meal-kit delivery service.
Nish Kankiwala, chief executive officer of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Our investment in our Waitrose store portfolio is already yielding strong results, with customers responding positively.
“As our retail driven plan continues to gain traction, our growing number of shoppers and increasing customer satisfaction scores are clear indicators of its success.
“This is a result of our unrelenting focus on improving the customer experience of our retail businesses, taking the love that exists for both brands and making sure customers are rewarded with better shops, the highest quality products, and the best service.”
