Waitrose plans 100 store openings with £1bn investment
Waitrose is planning to open 100 new convenience stores within the next five years as part of a £1bn investment into its store estate.
The retailer is set to open its first store in six years in Hampton Hill, London later this year, with further locations planned within the capital and nationwide.
In addition, Waitrose is also set to refurbish 150 stores over the next three years. The first of which is opening today (21 August) at Finchley Road, North London, at the former John Barnes store. The store will act as a trial for its new concepts and includes a number of new features, such as an updated refrigeration system, a new look bakery, and the first fully-chilled beer, wine, and spirits department.
James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose, said: “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.
“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.”
Nish Kankiwala, chief executive of the John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, added: “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.”