Waitrose plans to open 100 new c-stores as part of £1bn investment drive

The announcement comes as the upmarket grocer is set to open its newly transformed John Barnes shop on Finchley Road, London which will act as a testbed for new concepts as part of its store investment programme.

Waitrose said it plans to spend over £1bn over the next three years on new stores and refurbishments to 150 existing stores, roughly half of its estate.

The investment programme will focus on upgrading service counters, a broader selection of wine and alcohol, greater flexibility to meet local demand and popular products, more third-party collaborations with the likes of Crosstown Doughnuts and more dedicated space for on-demand grocery orders through Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

Waitrose is also set to open its first new store in six years at Hampton Hill later this year, with a second in Greater London set to open early in 2025.

The new Finchley Road store follows Waitrose’ revamp of its Sudbury, Suffolk, store last year and, along with the makeover of its Maidenhead shop in the autumn, will “market the next evolution of our shop proposition”.

Waitrose executive director James Bailey 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.”

John Lewis Partnership chief executive Nish Kankiwala said: “Our investment in our Waitrose store portfolio is already yielding strong results, with customers responding positively. 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.”