Waitrose is planning to open 100 new convenience stores over the next five years as part of its £1bn investment into its store estate.
The upmarket retailer this week confirmed the details of what is set to be one of the “biggest periods of expansion” in its history. It represents a major scaling up of its c-store estate from 44 currently.
As part of the plans, a Little Waitrose in Hampton Hill, London will become Waitrose’s first new store for six years.
The Hampton Hill site remains subject to planning approval, but is set to open later this year. A second c-store is set to follow in the new year, at a location in Greater London, Waitrose said.
Waitrose executive director James Bailey has previously highlighted convenience as a major source of growth for Waitrose, as it seeks to rebuild market share lost to rivals like M&S over the past couple of years. In March 2023, he told The Grocer that Waitrose remained “underexposed” in the channel.
Waitrose has seen food to go sales increase following the relaunch of its own label food to go range. It has also ramped up its rapid delivery partnerships, with Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
It is is also aiming to open four new supermarkets over the same period, and plans to renovate a further 150 of its 329 supermarkets as part of the investment, adding new technology, revamping counters and upping levels of service and availability.
The new store plans follow the reopening of Waitrose John Barnes store in north London on 21 August. The site acts as a trial store for Waitrose future openings, and includes a suite of new fixtures and formats, including a hot wok counter, and dedicated on-demand grocery delivery hatch.
“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,” Bailey said.
“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,” he added.
Waitrose trial stores
A major focus of the new trial stores has been on improving levels of “localisation”, to ensure stores are tailored to the needs of shoppers locally. An example at John Barnes is a new dedicated parmesan concession. The store accounts for 15% of total parmesan sales across the business.
Waitrose has also rearranged checkouts away from the store entrance, overhauled the bakery section and introduced a new fully chilled wines, spirits and beers aisle.
John Barnes is Waitrose’s second new trial store, following the renovation of Sudbury in Suffolk earlier this year. Maidenhead is the next store set to receive investment in the autumn. The Grocer understands Newbury is also in the immediate pipeline.
The wider £1bn investment comes as part of a rejigged turnaround strategy which would focus “unashamedly” on the retail basics, unveiled by JLP CEO Nish Kankiwala and outgoing chairman Sharon White in March following the partnership’s return to profit.
“Our investment in our Waitrose store portfolio is already yielding strong results, with customers responding positively,” Kankiwala said on the new opening.
“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.”
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