Waitrose has opened its first new convenience store in six years, in a twin bid to expand its store estate footprint and build on its partnerships with Shell and Welcome Break.
The new Little Waitrose store opened today in Hampton Hill, south west London and has become the supermarket’s 47th c-store across the UK.
The new store opening comes as Waitrose looks to expand the footprint of its partnership with Welcome Break with new store openings planned in Spaldwick and Cambridgeshire this month and in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in the new year. A third location is also being planned for later in 2025, with more to come should they prove successful.
Waitrose has said that while it will focus on opening 3,000 sq ft convenience stores, it hasn’t ruled out looking at sites up to 6,000 sq ft in size for new sites.
The new Hampton Hill store will be the first Waitrose store to feature a delivery hatch to allow delivery drivers from the likes of Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to pick up and deliver orders more easily.
Waitrose executive director James Bailey said: “The long associated stereotypes of food at forecourts and service stations are becoming a thing of the past – expectation has moved on and customers are rightfully demanding more.
“They want great tasting quality food no matter where they are.
“Through new store openings and strategic partnerships, we will continue to evolve our shops to get better and better, while reaching new locations that help bring Waitrose great quality, service and value closer to more customers.”
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