Waitrose needs more than an ‘& Partners’ rebrand to excite staff and customers

Today Waitrose became Waitrose & Partners as part of a major new rebranding strategy from owner JLP, which also sees the famous department stores becoming John Lewis & Partners.

The retailer says the move is about differentiating Waitrose and John Lewis from their competitors by highlighting the partnership business model and culture.

Two Waitrose stores in London have already been rebadged, while the rest of the 348 Waitrose and 50 John Lewis shop facades and the combined fleet of 3,500 lorries and vans will be tackled over a number of years to tie in with refurbishment plans.

The packaging of Waitrose own-label product ranges will begin changing from October, starting with the new Christmas range, alongside the launch of its new free-from lineup.

Waitrose MD Rob Collins insists today’s announcement means much more than just a new name and some new signage.

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“It symbolises something bigger, expressing what’s different about our business and signalling our intent to make that difference count for even more: committed, knowledgeable partners who care about the business they own, sharing their love of food and offering great customer service.”

The key for me in all this is that Waitrose needs to keep improving its offer for customers – and I’m not sure how much they really care about Waitrose’s ownership model. Certainly they do care about the supermarket’s ethics around sourcing, supplier relationships, and support for farmers in the UK and abroad – as well as its environmental credentials – but whether it matters who ultimately owns the business, I’m not so sure.

In making this new strategy work in terms of driving sales and increasing profits for all these partners, Waitrose still needs to up its game in delivering for customers.

In June JLP said it would continue to invest in both businesses at a rate of £400m-£500m per year, to enable the two retail businesses to differentiate themselves from other retailers by innovating in products, customer service and services.

This is the key to making a real difference. Last week Waitrose commercial director Rupert Thomas was extolling the virtues of its new 7,000 sq ft development kitchen at its Bracknell HQ. He said the new facility would give its chefs the “space and kit they need to flourish”.

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I look forward to the results. Waitrose really needs to get back some of the wow factor in its own label. Essential Waitrose is an excellent concept that helps allay shopper concerns around price and therefore will continue to have an important role to play. However, its premium Waitrose 1 brand has arguably not been as successful in driving real excitement and differentiation into its range.

If Collins wants his “knowledgeable partners” to share their love of food with customers, then he needs to start with a really long, hard look at the range.

A few years back, Waitrose’s Christmas lines were causing a huge sensation. Let’s hope it can recapture some of that magic with the new logo-carrying Christmas range and free-from lines, both of which will land in stores next month. Then its partners will have something to be truly proud of.