How do you manage availability in a new store?
It’s much harder than normal, of course, as you don’t know what’s going to sell. Luckily, we’ve had a lot of support from head office, and have been on the emergency ordering list. That meant we could get any item in stock within 24 hours. Three weeks in, we’ve managed to switch to regular ordering and the transition has gone well so far.
What product is selling particularly well at the moment?
Our fresh foods, particularly the counters, are doing very well. Olives have been a surprisingly big seller. All our service counters have a new look that will eventually roll out over all stores as a redesign. And we’re the first Waitrose branch in Warwickshire to have a patisserie counter.
What’s the latest initiative in store?
Our Community Matters initiative, which allows shoppers to use tokens to decide how to split £1,000 between three local charities, is proving hugely popular. Some 98% of our customers use their token, and more than 70 charities have asked to be considered next month. This month’s charities, Myton Hospice, Honiley Dogs Trust and Warwickshire Air Ambulance, were chosen by our partners.
What would you change about the store, if anything?
I would love to have a coffee shop, as our customers really are demanding it. Unfortunately, it was part of our planning restrictions when we were building that we can’t have one. On the upside, that does mean we’ve got room for more products.
Did you get a chance to personally contribute to the new store’s design?
I had been working on this as a six-month project before the store opened, so had a chance to contribute to a lot of the discussions about finishing the store. The best thing I managed during this time, I think, was getting extra checkouts, including a mobile till for the launch, into the store. This is making a real difference to delivering great service to our customers.
It’s much harder than normal, of course, as you don’t know what’s going to sell. Luckily, we’ve had a lot of support from head office, and have been on the emergency ordering list. That meant we could get any item in stock within 24 hours. Three weeks in, we’ve managed to switch to regular ordering and the transition has gone well so far.
What product is selling particularly well at the moment?
Our fresh foods, particularly the counters, are doing very well. Olives have been a surprisingly big seller. All our service counters have a new look that will eventually roll out over all stores as a redesign. And we’re the first Waitrose branch in Warwickshire to have a patisserie counter.
What’s the latest initiative in store?
Our Community Matters initiative, which allows shoppers to use tokens to decide how to split £1,000 between three local charities, is proving hugely popular. Some 98% of our customers use their token, and more than 70 charities have asked to be considered next month. This month’s charities, Myton Hospice, Honiley Dogs Trust and Warwickshire Air Ambulance, were chosen by our partners.
What would you change about the store, if anything?
I would love to have a coffee shop, as our customers really are demanding it. Unfortunately, it was part of our planning restrictions when we were building that we can’t have one. On the upside, that does mean we’ve got room for more products.
Did you get a chance to personally contribute to the new store’s design?
I had been working on this as a six-month project before the store opened, so had a chance to contribute to a lot of the discussions about finishing the store. The best thing I managed during this time, I think, was getting extra checkouts, including a mobile till for the launch, into the store. This is making a real difference to delivering great service to our customers.
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