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Waitrose Opens First Supermarket In Eight Years


Waitrose opens a brand-new 18,000 sq ft ‘Home of Food Lovers’ store in Cricklewood, North West London - the grocer’s first full line supermarket opening in eight years.


The next Waitrose supermarket opening will be in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, this November.


The grocer has also announced the acquisition of four new sites which underpin its approach to having the right store in the right location. Joining the two new supermarkets will be a new neighbourhood store in Oakham (Rutland) and three new convenience stores in Bedminster (Bristol), Chalk Farm (London) and Springstead Village (Cambridge) which will open from 2027.


Waitrose operates three main types of store with the size, layout and ranging tailored to local needs. Small convenience stores in busy urban areas focus on fresh top-up items and quick, on-the-go purchases. Mid-size ‘neighbourhood’ stores in suburban areas carry over 6,500 products, making them ideal for everything from quick drop-ins to weekly shops. Larger supermarkets serve as destination stores with room to showcase the full breadth of the Waitrose range and concepts.


The announcements form part of Waitrose's £1 billion multi-year investment plan, which includes expansion, store updates and the growth of its online and wholesale channels, to provide the best experience for customers.


Waitrose Cricklewood

The Cricklewood shop marks the next phase in rolling out Waitrose’s ‘Home of Food Lovers’ concept - first trialled in Newbury and now serving as the blueprint for new openings and refurbishments, adapted to suit each local community.


Central to the offering is Waitrose’s approach to quality, food integrity and animal welfare. Key features include dedicated meat, fish and sushi counters, dry-aged beef cabinet, hand-cut and speciality cheeses, on-site bakery, Fine & Rare wine selection and a fruit and veg section championing organic, Fairtrade, and regeneratively-farmed produce.


Behind the experience is a team of Partners who’ve completed extensive training to help customers discover what’s on offer. Partners in Beers, Wines & Spirits, Bakery and Counters have also completed additional training and qualifications through organisations including the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Guild of Fine Food and specialist suppliers such as Dovecote Park and Pilgrims.


The team includes 69 new Partners who join 53 experienced team members as co-owners in the John Lewis Partnership. Three appointments were made through the Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme, which delivers tailored support, job shadowing, and long-term career pathways for care-experienced young people.


Tina Mitchell, Waitrose Retail Director, said:

“Our supermarkets provide the ultimate showcase for everything that sets Waitrose apart - from our unmatched quality and industry-leading welfare standards to the expert service of our Partners."

“Opening Cricklewood as our first new full-line supermarket in eight years marks an important step in bringing Waitrose closer to more communities. We continue to invest in the right shops in the right locations alongside delivering the experience customers expect from Waitrose through our online offering and wider network.”


Nationwide investment

Waitrose’s investment programme includes 29 store refurbishments this year alone and alongside today's four new store announcements, the grocer continues work on previously announced sites - a convenience store in Ascot (Berkshire) and a 30,000 sq ft shop in Brabazon (Bristol).


To support existing stores and unlock further growth, Waitrose will open its first South West distribution centre in Avonmouth early next year.


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Celebration Packaging’s EnviroWare® bamboo fibre double wall hot drink cups and double wall Leaf 2 hot drink cups are now also certified as 100% recyclable in normal paper mills.


Celebration Packaging Managing Director Nick Burton said:

“When we created the EnviroWare® brand, over 17 years ago, our declared mission was to seek out more sustainable packaging solutions. We have always believed that when sourcing sustainable packaging, the provenance of the raw materials is paramount – but ensuring that it can be properly disposed of at its end-of-life is equally important. Obtaining certification to prove that our products are 100% recyclable is therefore crucial.”

Using the recyclability assessment method of EN13430 with testing based on the Confederation of European Paper Industries Recyclability Test Method Version 2 (2022) for fibre-based packaging products and materials, the cups have been confirmed as 100% recyclable in standard paper mills, so they don’t have to be sent to specialist facilities.


Family run Celebration Packaging’s EnviroWare® bamboo fibre double-wall hot drink cups are made from Forest Stewardship Council® certified bamboo fibre – with an aqueous-based lining, while the EnviroWare® Leaf 2 paper hot drink cups are made from FSC® certified material with a plant-based lining.


Alongside the ‘Recycle’ logo, both types of cups feature the Din Certco seedling logo, as they are certified commercially compostable (DIN EN 13432:2000-12) – and both carry the messages: “Recycle with paper or compost commercially”, and “Made from sustainable renewable resources”.


The importance of certification


“Earlier this year, we commissioned Sapio Research to conduct a survey looking at consumer understanding of logos and terminology used for disposable foodservice packaging,” says Nick Burton.


“The survey showed that 68% of consumers think that it is very or extremely important that food and drink packaging is certified recyclable, and over three fifths (61%) said that information on packaging is what they rely on the most to keep them informed about its correct disposal, underwriting the importance of it being properly certified."


“Celebration Packaging has always invested in accreditations and certifications which we take very seriously, so that when we make environmental and sustainably claims, we can always back them up. This sets us apart from many of our competitors, while also giving our customers confidence to help them on their sustainability journey."


“If foodservice operators are looking to improve their sustainability credentials, they need to work with a consultative supplier to ensure that they're choosing the right packaging – that is functional, fit for purpose, popular with consumers and above all, sustainable,” concludes Nick Burton.

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