Waitrose has teamed up with Dobbies to roll out a dedicated food offer across 50 of its garden centres over the next two years.
The Waitrose shop-in-shops, all of which will open by the end of 2023, will stock 2,000 products across ready meals, prepared fruit and vegetables, snacks and store cupboard staples. The stores will offer the upmarket grocer’s Waitrose Essential value range, as well as its No.1 and Waitrose Duchy Organic premium brands.
The first site will launch in Edinburgh this month, followed by Atherstone in Warwickshire and Brighton in August.
The partnership, which replaces Dobbies’ former deal with Sainsbury’s, will give Waitrose a footprint in 20 new towns and cities where it doesn’t currently have a store, including Carlisle, Ayr and Derby.
This is the first time that Waitrose has partnered with a garden centre retailer and marks the brand’s growing ambitions in the convenience sector.
This year the grocer has also expanded its partnership with Deliveroo and confirmed plans to supply 125 Shell forecourts by 2025.
Waitrose executive director James Bailey said: “Our agreement with Dobbies not only gives us the opportunity to work with a partner who shares our values when it comes to quality and service, but underlines our ambitions to bring Waitrose food and drink to even more people throughout the UK.
“It will take us into locations that are entirely new for us and build our presence in other areas where a Waitrose shop may not currently be conveniently accessible despite strong demand for our products.”
Dobbies chief executive Graeme Jenkins added: “Waitrose and Dobbies share a commitment to great value, quality and sustainability. They are the natural partner for us as we look to build on the success of our food halls in recent years, which have become a popular part of our customer offer.”
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