Refreshment focuses on the water dispenser/cooler, office coffee service and vending sectors, while also taking an in-depth look into products for vending from bottled water and drinks, to snacks and confectionery. It also focuses on hydration, health and wellness, new technologies and environmental and social responsibility issues.
.png)
Hospitality
Research
Coffee & tea
British supermarket giant Waitrose has revealed plans to open up to 100 convenience shops across the UK over the next five years.
The initiative will see the firm inject £1 billion over the next three years into new stores and improvements to 150 existing shops, which make up almost half of its estate.
James Bailey, executive director for Waitrose, said:
“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 company's John Barnes store in Finchley Road, London, will test new concepts as part of the investment programme. The Finchley Road shop, as well as two more across the UK (Suffolk and Maidenhead) will be used to trial new services, product offerings and concept upgrades over the next 12 months before a new blueprint for Waitrose shops is revealed in 2025.
Through the investment, Waitrose will upgrade its service counters and give greater prominence to its wine selection – Finchley Road is the first Waitrose to feature an entirely chilled department for white wine, champagne, rose and beer. It will also bring greater flexibility to respond to local demand, with more space given to top sellers, as well as bringing more opportunity for third-party collaboration.
The new stores will also provide more dedicated space for on demand grocery orders – Finchley Road is the first Waitrose shop to feature a hatch, which allows riders to make collections outside of the store’s opening hours. John Lewis says this store will be the ‘first UK supermarket’ to have a dedicated internal space for on-demand grocery collections, created due to the increased popularity of orders through Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
Under this plan, Waitrose expects to open its first new store in six years in Hampton Hill, London, later this year, and a second in Greater London early next year.
“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,” Bailey continued. “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.”
The supermarket giant says that the convenience store will “trigger one of its biggest periods of expansion” as it looks to reach more customers.
Nish Kankiwala, CEO of the John Lewis Partnership, commented: “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.”
Related posts
