Waitrose has made a serious dent in its aim to open 100 convenience stores over the next five years by opening a new branch in a major UK city. The supermarket retailer, which already has 329 shops across the UK, has started the roll out of its new stores.
Waitrose previously confirmed the move towards convenience shops was in response to changing consumer habits and demand. The first shop of this kind opened in London’s Hampton Hill last year. The latest Waitrose convenience store opened in The Arches area of Bristol on Thursday, September 25, marking the latest milestone in its £1 billion, multi-year investment programme into its UK store estate.
At just under 3,000 sq ft, the shop offers more than 3,400 products including Waitrose’s popular own brand ranges, such as the food lovers’ favourite – Waitrose No. 1.
Employing 25 staff the new store 1-3 Gloucester Road replaces the former Future Leap, a sustainable co-working and events space that operated for six years before closing in January. Previously, Maplin occupied the same site.
Branch manager, Tom Blyth, has more than 18 years experience at the John Lewis Partnership, starting as section manager at John Lewis Nottingham and up until recently, as manager of Little Waitrose Clifton.
Tom said: “It’s fantastic to be part of such a significant nationwide investment. My team and I have been busy getting everything ready to welcome customers to their brand new shop. They’ll discover our great range of quality products on offer, as well as convenient delivery and pick up options, capped by the excellent service the Partnership is famous for.
“Coming from Clifton to The Arches, I’m pleased to continue supporting the local community through our outstanding customer experience and the creation of job opportunities.”
To celebrate the launch, the very first customer through the doors at 8am received a bouquet of flowers with additional early bird customers welcomed with the gift of a free tote bag.
Waitrose has confirmed further investment in the Bristol area with the launch due to be followed by the retailer’s first distribution centre in the region. The 360,000 sq ft distribution centre at Mountpark’s Bristol 360 is scheduled to open towards the end of 2026. It has been designed to deliver to around 50 current Waitrose shops, with the capacity to accommodate more.
