Waitrose is to expand its partnership with café chain Gail’s, with the opening of its first ‘store within a store’ site.
The takeaway counter is set to open in Waitrose Canary Wharf in London, on 6 June. Decked out in Gail’s branding, the 280 sq ft counter will offer a range of Gail’s breads, baked goods and speciality coffee all prepared on site.
Customers will also be able to order through Gail’s click & collect service, as well as a range of Gail’s sharing platters for home or office delivery.
“Building on our successful partnership with the launch of a new and innovative Gail’s bakery is hugely exciting,” said Waitrose customer director Nathan Ansell.
“Synonymous with quality, expertise, and taste, Gail’s very much reflects our own core values and we know how much our food-loving customers enjoy their products.”
Waitrose already operates its own network of in-store Waitrose Cafés, as well as its more premium Waite & Rose format. The new concession format would reinforce Waitrose’s commitment to “improving the Waitrose experience for customers” the retailer said.
Waitrose first partnered with Gail’s in November 2022 to launch three bakery concessions as part of a limited trial. After strong sales, the concessions were rolled out to a total 64 Waitrose stores in April 2023. Around 5% of Gail’s total sales at Waitrose came from the concession at the Canary Wharf store, the supermarket said, indicating its reasons for choosing the location of the first site.
The new counter will be operated by Gail’s, as part of its own ongoing store rollout.
“We are delighted to be opening one of our neighbourhood bakeries within the Canary Wharf Waitrose,” said Gail’s MD Marta Pogroszweska.
“We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with Waitrose and welcoming the community to our latest craft bakery.”
It’s the latest in a string of bakery-related launches from Waitrose over the last month, following a recent category review.
Last week saw the launch of a new Leckford Farmhouse loaf. Made from flour grown at the supermarket’s Leckford Estate in Hampshire, the product was launched to celebrate the supermarket’s major new commitment to regenerative farming, announced the same week.
The launch followed a new range of branded “regenerative loafs” with Wildfarmed in April.
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