Waitrose to open supermarket in UK city as it rolls out 100 store plan | UK | News
Despite the challenges of rising costs and tax rises, Waitrose is continuing one of its “greatest periods of expansion” in history, with plans to open a new branch in Essex and dozens of new branches to follow. The British supermarket chain has submitted a planning application to convert a unit in Chelmsford into a new Waitrose Limited store in the city’s Village Retail Park. It comes amid wider plans to open 100 “convenience stores” – smaller branches focusing on staples and groceries – by 2030 despite an uncertain economic environment.
The brand’s parent company, John Lewis Partnership (JLP), recorded a significant half-year loss in September, with an overall deficit of £88 million; He attributed this to an increase in National Insurance contributions and packaging costs. While Waitrose has closed many stores in recent years to save money, the group stressed that investments in supply chains, store branches and technology have since helped customer numbers grow, and stronger sales figures are expected in the second half of the year regardless of the “challenging” situation.
Waitrose has previously said its move into smaller grocery stores was a response to changing customer habits and demand, with the first branch of its kind opening in London’s Hampton Hill last year.
The £1bn multi-year investment program will include extensive improvements to existing facilities, with recent refurbishments including London branches in Marylebone and Cykenwell.
Both stores now feature a redesigned bakery, fruit and veg sections and a new wine selection, while the Marylebone store also has a dedicated dry-aged beef counter.
Speaking ahead of the reopening of its refurbished Finchley Road store in the capital’s northwest last year, Waitrose chief executive James Bailey suggested shoppers choose Waitrose for its “counters, unique service and fresh food”.
“We are on a really positive upward trajectory right now,” he added. “[The store upgrades] We mark the next evolution of our journey to create a great shopping experience for our customers, underpinned by a high-quality product offering specific to the local area and the quality service we are synonymous with.
“When designing the store we took the 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.”
JLP chairman Jason Tarry admitted consumer confidence was “subdued” in anticipation of the Chancellor’s upcoming Autumn Budget, but added that the group expected the Christmas period to deliver a big boost to overall annual profits.
“We will focus on what we can control,” he told the BBC. “We are a second-half company, there is no doubt about that. All of our profits are in the second half. [of the year]”
