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Waitrose

October 20, 2023

Waitrose Limited,[3][4][5] trading as Waitrose & Partners, is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still sells groceries under the brand. Its head offices is located in Bracknell.[6]

Waitrose Limited
TypeSubsidiary
IndustrySupermarket
Founded1904
FounderWallace Waite
Arthur Rose
David Taylor
Headquarters
Bracknell
,
England
Number of locations
329 (April 2023)
Area served
Great Britain and the Channel Islands
ProductsFood
ServicesSupermarkets
Online shopping
Revenue £6.984 billion (2022)[1]
£1.02 billion (2022)[1]
Number of employees
52,590[2]
ParentJohn Lewis Partnership
Websitewaitrose.com
The Waitrose branch in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, built in 2007, was Waitrose's first purpose-built retail outlet in Northern England

As at April 2023, Waitrose & Partners has 329 shops across Great Britain and the Channel Islands, including 65 "little Waitrose" convenience shops, and a 5.1% share of the grocery market, making the company the twelfth-largest retailer of groceries in the UK.[7][8] They also export products to 52 countries and have locations in the Middle East.[9]

The chain has been described by The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian as having an "upmarket" reputation, although former managing director Mark Price suggested prices are competitive to Tesco, a mid-market chain.[10][11][12] The company also had a royal warrant to supply groceries, wine, and spirits to King Charles III.[13][14]

History Edit

Founded in 1904 by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor, Waitrose & Partners began as a small grocery, Waite, Rose & Taylor, in Acton, West London.[15] In 1908, two years after David Taylor had left the business, the name "Waitrose", from the remaining founders' names, was adopted.[16] In 1937, the company, consisting of ten shops and 160 employees, was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership.[15] In 1944, the partnership purchased the South Essex grocery business Schofield and Martin, which had 12 shops in its chain.[17]

In 1955, the chain opened its first Waitrose supermarket in Streatham, London, and continued to expand throughout London and the South East of England during the 1960s. In the 1970s, Waitrose opened branches in Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire. On 16 June 2016 the shop's most southerly branch opened in Truro, Cornwall.[18]

In the early 21st century, Waitrose continued its expansion, which included purchasing shops from Somerfield,[19] Morrisons[20] and Woolworths.[21]

In 2009 the firm signed a deal with Alliance Boots which allowed Boots to operate branded pharmacies in Waitrose shops and Boots shops to sell Waitrose food products.[22] The partnership between the companies ended in 2012 having been deemed unsuccessful, which led to Boots replacing Waitrose products with items from Irish retailer Musgrave's SuperValu chain.[23]

Profitability issues at the end of the decade resulted in John Lewis announcing the closure of five Waitrose shops in 2018 and the sale of a further five Waitrose shops to other retailers in 2019.[24]

Brand and marketing Edit

 
The logo of Waitrose prior to the re-brand in 2003
 
Waitrose logo from 2004 to 2018

Waitrose sponsored Reading Football Club from 2008 to 2015,[25] and the England cricket team for three years from 2013 to 2016.[26]

In March 2010, Waitrose released a series of adverts, in print, online, and on national television, featuring celebrity chefs Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal.[27]

 
A Waitrose promotional stall at Headingley during a 2014 Test between England and Sri Lanka

Waitrose Duchy Organic Edit

Main article: Waitrose Duchy Organic

In 1983 Waitrose became the first major supermarket chain to sell organic food, and by 2008 it had an 18% share of the organic food market. In September 2009, Duchy Originals, the struggling organic food business started by King Charles III was rescued by Waitrose, which agreed to an exclusive deal to stock the range, and to pay a small fee to his charity. In return, Prince Charles visited Waitrose shops and dined with senior Waitrose executives and their spouses.[28] In August 2010, the Duchy range was relaunched with many new lines under the Duchy Originals from Waitrose (later Waitrose Duchy Organic) brand.[29]

Product ranges Edit

  • Essential Waitrose: Aware that Waitrose risked being seen as a food retailer for special occasions rather than everyday shopping, the chain launched its value range of products as "essential Waitrose" in March 2009. The marketing used the tagline: "Quality you'd expect at prices you wouldn't". 1,400 products were branded with this name using simple white-based packaging.[30] Some people poked fun at the range for selling products that are not essential, such as ratatouille Provençal and limoncello desserts. Nevertheless, the range was highly successful. By 2016 it had over 2,000 items and £1.1 billion annual sales, making it one of only five food and drink brands in Britain worth over £1 billion.[31]
  • No 1 Waitrose is a range of around 650 premium lines with grey packaging.[32]
  • Cooks Ingredients are spices, herbs and related products with colourful packaging.[33]
  • Heston for Waitrose is a range of prepared foods such as pies and cakes developed by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal.[34]

myWaitrose loyalty card Edit

In late 2011 the supermarket introduced its first loyalty card scheme, myWaitrose. It differed from supermarket loyalty schemes like Tesco Clubcard and Nectar, giving cardholders access to exclusive competitions and offers instead of allowing them to collect points.[35]

It later began to give cardholders 10% off selected products, as well as free tea or coffee in store and money off their shopping for purchasing selected newspapers.[36] Former Managing director Mark Price has said that this offer has made Waitrose the second largest provider of coffee in the UK, calling it a "phenomenal" response that showed other schemes offering the different system of loyalty points to be meaningless. He told The Daily Telegraph: "Giving free coffee or free newspapers is disruptive to the market, but I think that is what customers want, I don't think they want a point. I mean, what is a point? I think it's meaningless. It doesn't have the richness, it doesn't have the affinity you can gauge if you engage with your customers in a different way. It is about what do consumers value today, not what did they value historically. So green shield stamps, or points, were a response to what happened post-war...I just don't think that is where the world is now."[37]

The Daily Telegraph also later reported that Waitrose has faced "complaints from disgruntled middle-class shoppers who claim its free coffee offer is attracting the wrong kind of customer".[38]

Price matching Edit

In 2010, Waitrose began a price guarantee, matching prices of 1,000 items with Tesco. In 2012, it extended this campaign to 7,000 items.[39]

Waitrose Kitchen magazine Edit

In February 2015, Waitrose Kitchen magazine included an advertising pamphlet, "Taste of Israel", submitted by the Israeli government, in which traditional Arabic foods were referred to as Israeli. The advert prompted a social media backlash against Waitrose.[40]

Corporate practices Edit

Main article: John Lewis Partnership
 
A Waitrose 'Community Matters' charity token
 
A Waitrose customer services partner serving a customer during the Christmas period at Putney

Waitrose and its related brands are owned by the John Lewis Partnership (JLP), which is itself owned by its employees, referred to within the organization as "partners."[41] Employee shares are held in trust by the Partnership—their shares cannot be sold by the individual partners. The partners' economic rewards are achieved through the payment of bonuses, based on the JLP's annual profits.[42] As such, they receive certain benefits, most notably the Partnership bonus, usually around 10–20% of a Partner's yearly salary in a lump sum paid in March (the highest bonus percentage in recent years has been 20%).[43] However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Partnership bonus was suspended in both the 2020 and 2021 financial years, angering many Partners as they felt their hard work was not recognised.[44]

Waitrose donates a portion of its profits to a group of charities on a proportional basis, whilst individual Waitrose branches manage their own charitable donations and local decisions are made on which charities are to be supported. This is a system called "Community Matters", where customers are invited to choose to whom they want money to be donated.[45]

The supermarket launched the Waitrose Foundation in 2005, providing funds for education, worker facilities, and health services among other things for fruit growers in South Africa. This was expanded to Ghana and Kenya in 2009.[46]

Shops Edit

Traditionally, Waitrose branches were largely concentrated in the south-east of England and Greater London; even as recently as 2003, its northernmost English branch was in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire.[47] However, the company's expansion northwards and into Scotland since the mid-2000s has changed this significantly: the most northerly Waitrose shop is now located in Stirling, which opened in January 2013. Waitrose opened its 300th shop in Helensburgh on the River Clyde on 23 October 2013.[48]

Waitrose shops vary considerably in size. For example, the smallest branch, little Waitrose at King's Cross station, London,[49] occupies only 2,500 sq ft (230 m2) of retail space.[50]

Some Waitrose shops incorporate an in-house restaurant selling hot and cold food sourced in the main from the shop. The myWaitrose card, which customers can obtain online, offers free hot drinks from the store's self-service machines with a purchase of goods; this was withdrawn due to the COVID-19 pandemic but as of February 2023 the coffee offer has returned.[51][52]

Internationally, Waitrose holds a licensing agreement with Spinneys of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which operate two purpose-built branches, of which the first opened in the Dubai Mall in October 2008.[53]

Convenience shops and little Waitrose Edit

 
A Waitrose convenience shop on Lands Lane in Leeds city centre
 
A little Waitrose shop in Cheam

Announcing its foray into the convenience sector in July 2008,[54] Waitrose opened its first convenience shop in Nottingham in December of that year.[55] In September 2009, it was announced that a large scale rollout of the concept was planned, opening up to 300 shops in 5 to 10 years. The new arm will operate in a two-tier environment, with the majority of sites expected to trade from 2,500 to 3,000 sq ft and some trading from a larger 5,000–7,000 sq ft floor plate.[56] A trial of a 'little Waitrose' fascia on smaller floor plate shops may yet lead to brand differentiation of some or all of the convenience estate.[57]

Shell operates a series of Little Waitrose stores at selected petrol stations in the UK.[58]

Welcome Break Edit

In May 2009, Waitrose started a franchise deal with the motorway service station operator Welcome Break.[59]

Online presence Edit

Ocado Edit

In April 2000, the online food retailer Ocado was launched, with the Ocado service being only available in certain areas of Britain. John Lewis Partnership came on board as a principal supplier and part owner in October 2000, although the relationship between the two began formally in January 2002. In August 2020, Waitrose announced they would cease operations with Ocado, which ended on 1 September 2020. Ocado partnered with Waitrose's rival store Marks & Spencer.[60] Arrangements were amended in 2010 to a ten-year agreement to supply products to Ocado.[61] In February 2011, John Lewis Pension trust divested itself of its Ocado shares.[62]

Waitrose.com Edit

Waitrose operates its own delivery service, Waitrose.com (previously WaitroseDeliver), which originally was only available in certain shops, delivering goods ordered through the internet and serviced from the local branch. Not to be confused with Ocado, which is an unrelated business, which formerly had a licence to distribute Waitrose items until 1 September 2020, when Waitrose ended its relationship with Ocado, to instead operate deliveries solely by itself from centralised fulfilment centres.[60] As well as ordinary online groceries shopping, Waitrose.com also hosts the online ordering system for Waitrose's special order food and cakes service "Waitrose Entertaining". Waitrose became the first supermarket to abolish all delivery charges as of May 2009.[63]

In October 2011, Waitrose opened a "Dotcom Fulfilment Centre" in Acton, West London, less than two miles from its original shop. The shop employs over 200 Partners and provides Waitrose internet food deliveries for most of west and central London from a dedicated site. The shop, whilst not open to the public, is laid out in a similar manner to a regular shop and even offers service counter lines, much like a normal Waitrose supermarket.[64]

In March 2020, Waitrose announced that it was to add its Waitrose.com online delivery service to 24 more of its stores across the UK in preparation for its split with Ocado in September 2020.[65]

Closed / sold stores Edit

Waitrose closed four convenience shops and one supermarket in the UK in 2018.[66] This was followed by the announcement of twelve further store closures in 2019.[67][68] In September 2020, a further four stores were announced as closing.[69]

2014 Edit

2015 Edit

2016 Edit

2017 Edit

2018 Edit

Spring 2019 Edit

Autumn 2019 Edit

Spring 2020 Edit

Autumn 2020 Edit

2022 Edit

Awards and acclaims Edit

Waitrose has received a number of awards. Its wines have been given awards by Decanter magazine and the International Wine and Spirit Competition.[71][72] The supermarket chain has also received awards for its retail service, including awards from Which? magazine.[73][74][75][76][77][78][79] Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA have given Waitrose awards for animal welfare.[80][81]

See also Edit

References Edit

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  2. ^ Mattinson, Alec (4 May 2018). "Waitrose shed more than 3,700 staff last year, accounts show". The Grocer.
  3. ^ "WAITROSE LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. 3 September 1908. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Register of data protection fee payers - Entry details". Information Commissioner's Office. 8 January 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Terms and Conditions". Waitrose. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  6. ^ . John Lewis Partnership. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Waitrose head office Waitrose Limited Doncastle Road Southern Industrial Area Bracknell Berkshire RG12 8YA
  7. ^ "John Lewis Partnership - Who we are". John Lewis Partnership. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  8. ^ YouGov (10 July 2022). "The Most Popular Supermarket Chains". yougov.co.uk/. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  9. ^ . John Lewis Partnership. John Lewis Partnership plc. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  10. ^ Ruddick, Graham (27 December 2013). "Changing the 'upmarket' perception of Waitrose". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  11. ^ Wood, Zoe (29 June 2011). "Waitrose or Lidl? Shoppers in a divided Britain compare supermarkets deals". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Supermarket wars: Now upmarket Waitrose wants to open branch in Stoke Newington". Hackney Citizen. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  13. ^ Womack, Sarah (2 December 2002). "Waitrose awarded a royal warrant". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
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  15. ^ a b "Company History". Waitrose. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  16. ^ . Ciao. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  17. ^ "Acquisition of small food chains by Linda Moroney – Waitrosememorystore.co.uk". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  18. ^ "'Exciting times' as Waitrose and Great Cornish Food Shop open". West Briton. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "Somerfield sells shops". BBC News. 26 January 2000. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  20. ^ Finch, Julia (26 March 2004). "Waitrose buys former Safeway shops". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  21. ^ Finch, Julia (19 June 2008). "Is Woolies finished?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  22. ^ Creevy, Jennifer (24 September 2009). "Waitrose chases convenience market and signs deal with Boots UK". Retail Week. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  23. ^ Zuke, Elinor (30 August 2012). "Boots turns to Musgrave after Waitrose trial flops". The Grocer. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  24. ^ Sarah Butler (7 March 2019). "John Lewis cuts staff bonus to lowest level since 1953". The Guardian.
  25. ^ "Confirmed: Waitrose renew with Royals". www.readingfc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  26. ^ "ECB loses crucial wicket as Waitrose announces it will not renew sponsorship deal". International Business Times UK. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  27. ^ "Waitrose's Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith ads banned". The Guardian. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  28. ^ Smithers, Rebecca (10 September 2009). "Waitrose in deal with Prince Charles's Duchy Originals food company". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  29. ^ . Duchy Originals. 2 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  30. ^ "2010: Waitrose, Brand Extension - Case Study". The Marketing Society. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  31. ^ Harry Wallop (1 April 2016). "Why Waitrose is launching its first premium range". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  32. ^ Hegarty, Ronan. "Waitrose revamps premium No.1 range with 200 products added". The Grocer.
  33. ^ Faithfull, Mark (23 August 2022). "Waitrose spices up Cooks' Ingredients range for Tik Tok-inspired chefs - Retail Gazette". www.retailgazette.co.uk.
  34. ^ "Waitrose to launch Heston Blumenthal 'range'". Marketing Week. 16 July 2010.
  35. ^ "Waitrose unveils first loyalty card in strategic shift". Marketing Magazine. Haymarket. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  36. ^ "Waitrose ramps up 10% off deal for myWaitrose card holders". The Grocer. William Reed Business Media. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  37. ^ Ruddick, Graham (27 December 2013). "Waitrose boss attacks 'meaningless' loyalty cards". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  38. ^ Gosden, Emily (30 December 2013). "Waitrose faces 'middle-class backlash' after free coffee attracts 'wrong kind of customer'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  39. ^ Wood, Zoe (2 May 2012). "Waitrose matches Tesco prices with 'never knowingly undersold' pledge". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  40. ^ Wheaton, Oliver (16 March 2015). "Waitrose are getting a battering over running Taste of Israel advert". Metro. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  41. ^ Savage, John (2014). The Corporate Irresponsibility Committee. Brown Dog. ISBN 9781903056783. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  42. ^ Salaman, Graeme; Storey, Jon (2016). A Better Way of Doing Business?. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198782827. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  43. ^ "John Lewis profits and bonuses up". BBC. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  44. ^ "John Lewis profits and bonuses axed". Sky. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  45. ^ . Waitrose. Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  46. ^ . Waitrose. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  47. ^ "Waitrose MBA Trainee Guide: Key Management Decisions" (PDF). www.andidas.com. March 2003. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  48. ^ "Waitrose Unveils Fifth Branch in Scotland". Scotland Food And Drink. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  49. ^ "Waitrose opens first stations branch" (Press release). Waitrose Media Centre. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  50. ^ Tiffany Holland (19 August 2014). "In pictures: Waitrose opens first train station shop in London's King's Cross". Retail Week. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  51. ^ "Waitrose free coffee will have a trial return in some stores". BBC. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  52. ^ Marianne Calnan (10 April 2018). "Waitrose to end free hot drinks in cafés and remove disposable takeaway cups". The Grocer.
  53. ^ "Waitrose in Dubai deal to open first shops abroad". Reuters. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  54. ^ Thompson, James (9 July 2008). "Waitrose to open convenience shops in pursuit of £27bn market". The Independent. London.
  55. ^ "Waitrose First Convenience Shop Opens For Business". supermarket.co.uk. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  56. ^ Finch, Julia; Wearden, Graeme (24 September 2009). "Waitrose to open 300-strong network of convenience shops". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  57. ^ "Little Waitrose opens in London". Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  58. ^ "Little Waitrose & Partners". Shell. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  59. ^ . Waitrose Press Office. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  60. ^ a b "I thought Ocado was the online service for Waitrose & Partners. Are they different?". Waitrose. Retrieved 28 March 2021. Yes, we're two separate companies. Ocado is an online-only retailer that currently buys groceries from Waitrose & Partners and other companies, and delivers them to shoppers from its warehouses. The relationship between the two began formally in January 2002. Waitrose & Partners had started its own delivery service but, due to our relatively small size at that time, we needed the help of an established network such as Ocado. Until 31 August 2020, both Ocado and waitrose.com had been delivering Waitrose & Partners own-brand products, but from 1 September 2020, the only place you can buy Waitrose & Partners products is in our stores on at waitrose.com.
  61. ^ . John Lewis Partnership. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  62. ^ "Ocado shares hit after John Lewis sells stake". BBC News. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  63. ^ . Waitrose. Archived from the original on 18 June 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  64. ^ . Waitrose.presscentre.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  65. ^ Wells, Liz (2 March 2020). "Waitrose expands online delivery network". Talking Retail. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  66. ^ Sarah Butler and agency (27 June 2018). "Five Waitrose stores to close after John Lewis issues warning on profits". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  67. ^ Elias Jahshan (7 March 2019). "440 jobs at risk as Waitrose announces 5 store closures". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  68. ^ Sahar Nazir (19 July 2019). "Waitrose to close 7 shops, risking 677 jobs". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  69. ^ "Waitrose announces closure of four stores". BBC. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  70. ^ "Branch closures announcement". 25 March 2020.
  71. ^ "Waitrose Wins Wine Award Grand Slam". Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  72. ^ "Decanter World Wine Awards gives Waitrose Top Accolade". Decanter. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  73. ^ "Waitrose and John Lewis named top of the shops by Which?". Webwire. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
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External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waitrose.
  • Official website  

October 20, 2023
waitrose, limited, trading, partners, brand, british, supermarkets, founded, 1904, waite, rose, taylor, later, shortened, acquired, 1937, employee, owned, retailer, john, lewis, partnership, which, still, sells, groceries, under, brand, head, offices, located,. Waitrose Limited 3 4 5 trading as Waitrose amp Partners is a brand of British supermarkets founded in 1904 as Waite Rose amp Taylor later shortened to Waitrose It was acquired in 1937 by employee owned retailer John Lewis Partnership which still sells groceries under the brand Its head offices is located in Bracknell 6 Waitrose LimitedTypeSubsidiaryIndustrySupermarketFounded1904FounderWallace WaiteArthur RoseDavid TaylorHeadquartersBracknell EnglandNumber of locations329 April 2023 Area servedGreat Britain and the Channel IslandsProductsFoodServicesSupermarketsOnline shoppingRevenue 6 984 billion 2022 1 Operating income 1 02 billion 2022 1 Number of employees52 590 2 ParentJohn Lewis PartnershipWebsitewaitrose wbr comThe Waitrose branch in Cheadle Hulme Stockport built in 2007 was Waitrose s first purpose built retail outlet in Northern EnglandAs at April 2023 Waitrose amp Partners has 329 shops across Great Britain and the Channel Islands including 65 little Waitrose convenience shops and a 5 1 share of the grocery market making the company the twelfth largest retailer of groceries in the UK 7 8 They also export products to 52 countries and have locations in the Middle East 9 The chain has been described by The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian as having an upmarket reputation although former managing director Mark Price suggested prices are competitive to Tesco a mid market chain 10 11 12 The company also had a royal warrant to supply groceries wine and spirits to King Charles III 13 14 Contents 1 History 2 Brand and marketing 2 1 Waitrose Duchy Organic 2 2 Product ranges 2 3 myWaitrose loyalty card 2 4 Price matching 2 5 Waitrose Kitchen magazine 3 Corporate practices 4 Shops 4 1 Convenience shops and little Waitrose 4 2 Welcome Break 5 Online presence 5 1 Ocado 5 2 Waitrose com 6 Closed sold stores 6 1 2014 6 2 2015 6 3 2016 6 4 2017 6 5 2018 6 6 Spring 2019 6 7 Autumn 2019 6 8 Spring 2020 6 9 Autumn 2020 6 10 2022 7 Awards and acclaims 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory EditFounded in 1904 by Wallace Waite Arthur Rose and David Taylor Waitrose amp Partners began as a small grocery Waite Rose amp Taylor in Acton West London 15 In 1908 two years after David Taylor had left the business the name Waitrose from the remaining founders names was adopted 16 In 1937 the company consisting of ten shops and 160 employees was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership 15 In 1944 the partnership purchased the South Essex grocery business Schofield and Martin which had 12 shops in its chain 17 In 1955 the chain opened its first Waitrose supermarket in Streatham London and continued to expand throughout London and the South East of England during the 1960s In the 1970s Waitrose opened branches in Hampshire Bedfordshire Essex and Cambridgeshire On 16 June 2016 the shop s most southerly branch opened in Truro Cornwall 18 In the early 21st century Waitrose continued its expansion which included purchasing shops from Somerfield 19 Morrisons 20 and Woolworths 21 In 2009 the firm signed a deal with Alliance Boots which allowed Boots to operate branded pharmacies in Waitrose shops and Boots shops to sell Waitrose food products 22 The partnership between the companies ended in 2012 having been deemed unsuccessful which led to Boots replacing Waitrose products with items from Irish retailer Musgrave s SuperValu chain 23 Profitability issues at the end of the decade resulted in John Lewis announcing the closure of five Waitrose shops in 2018 and the sale of a further five Waitrose shops to other retailers in 2019 24 Brand and marketing Edit nbsp The logo of Waitrose prior to the re brand in 2003 nbsp Waitrose logo from 2004 to 2018Waitrose sponsored Reading Football Club from 2008 to 2015 25 and the England cricket team for three years from 2013 to 2016 26 In March 2010 Waitrose released a series of adverts in print online and on national television featuring celebrity chefs Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal 27 nbsp A Waitrose promotional stall at Headingley during a 2014 Test between England and Sri LankaWaitrose Duchy Organic Edit Main article Waitrose Duchy Organic In 1983 Waitrose became the first major supermarket chain to sell organic food and by 2008 it had an 18 share of the organic food market In September 2009 Duchy Originals the struggling organic food business started by King Charles III was rescued by Waitrose which agreed to an exclusive deal to stock the range and to pay a small fee to his charity In return Prince Charles visited Waitrose shops and dined with senior Waitrose executives and their spouses 28 In August 2010 the Duchy range was relaunched with many new lines under the Duchy Originals from Waitrose later Waitrose Duchy Organic brand 29 Product ranges Edit Essential Waitrose Aware that Waitrose risked being seen as a food retailer for special occasions rather than everyday shopping the chain launched its value range of products as essential Waitrose in March 2009 The marketing used the tagline Quality you d expect at prices you wouldn t 1 400 products were branded with this name using simple white based packaging 30 Some people poked fun at the range for selling products that are not essential such as ratatouille Provencal and limoncello desserts Nevertheless the range was highly successful By 2016 it had over 2 000 items and 1 1 billion annual sales making it one of only five food and drink brands in Britain worth over 1 billion 31 No 1 Waitrose is a range of around 650 premium lines with grey packaging 32 Cooks Ingredients are spices herbs and related products with colourful packaging 33 Heston for Waitrose is a range of prepared foods such as pies and cakes developed by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal 34 myWaitrose loyalty card Edit In late 2011 the supermarket introduced its first loyalty card scheme myWaitrose It differed from supermarket loyalty schemes like Tesco Clubcard and Nectar giving cardholders access to exclusive competitions and offers instead of allowing them to collect points 35 It later began to give cardholders 10 off selected products as well as free tea or coffee in store and money off their shopping for purchasing selected newspapers 36 Former Managing director Mark Price has said that this offer has made Waitrose the second largest provider of coffee in the UK calling it a phenomenal response that showed other schemes offering the different system of loyalty points to be meaningless He told The Daily Telegraph Giving free coffee or free newspapers is disruptive to the market but I think that is what customers want I don t think they want a point I mean what is a point I think it s meaningless It doesn t have the richness it doesn t have the affinity you can gauge if you engage with your customers in a different way It is about what do consumers value today not what did they value historically So green shield stamps or points were a response to what happened post war I just don t think that is where the world is now 37 The Daily Telegraph also later reported that Waitrose has faced complaints from disgruntled middle class shoppers who claim its free coffee offer is attracting the wrong kind of customer 38 Price matching Edit In 2010 Waitrose began a price guarantee matching prices of 1 000 items with Tesco In 2012 it extended this campaign to 7 000 items 39 Waitrose Kitchen magazine Edit In February 2015 Waitrose Kitchen magazine included an advertising pamphlet Taste of Israel submitted by the Israeli government in which traditional Arabic foods were referred to as Israeli The advert prompted a social media backlash against Waitrose 40 Corporate practices EditMain article John Lewis Partnership nbsp A Waitrose Community Matters charity token nbsp A Waitrose customer services partner serving a customer during the Christmas period at PutneyWaitrose and its related brands are owned by the John Lewis Partnership JLP which is itself owned by its employees referred to within the organization as partners 41 Employee shares are held in trust by the Partnership their shares cannot be sold by the individual partners The partners economic rewards are achieved through the payment of bonuses based on the JLP s annual profits 42 As such they receive certain benefits most notably the Partnership bonus usually around 10 20 of a Partner s yearly salary in a lump sum paid in March the highest bonus percentage in recent years has been 20 43 However during the COVID 19 pandemic Partnership bonus was suspended in both the 2020 and 2021 financial years angering many Partners as they felt their hard work was not recognised 44 Waitrose donates a portion of its profits to a group of charities on a proportional basis whilst individual Waitrose branches manage their own charitable donations and local decisions are made on which charities are to be supported This is a system called Community Matters where customers are invited to choose to whom they want money to be donated 45 The supermarket launched the Waitrose Foundation in 2005 providing funds for education worker facilities and health services among other things for fruit growers in South Africa This was expanded to Ghana and Kenya in 2009 46 Shops EditTraditionally Waitrose branches were largely concentrated in the south east of England and Greater London even as recently as 2003 its northernmost English branch was in Newark on Trent Nottinghamshire 47 However the company s expansion northwards and into Scotland since the mid 2000s has changed this significantly the most northerly Waitrose shop is now located in Stirling which opened in January 2013 Waitrose opened its 300th shop in Helensburgh on the River Clyde on 23 October 2013 48 Waitrose shops vary considerably in size For example the smallest branch little Waitrose at King s Cross station London 49 occupies only 2 500 sq ft 230 m2 of retail space 50 Some Waitrose shops incorporate an in house restaurant selling hot and cold food sourced in the main from the shop The myWaitrose card which customers can obtain online offers free hot drinks from the store s self service machines with a purchase of goods this was withdrawn due to the COVID 19 pandemic but as of February 2023 the coffee offer has returned 51 52 Internationally Waitrose holds a licensing agreement with Spinneys of Dubai United Arab Emirates which operate two purpose built branches of which the first opened in the Dubai Mall in October 2008 53 Convenience shops and little Waitrose Edit nbsp A Waitrose convenience shop on Lands Lane in Leeds city centre nbsp A little Waitrose shop in CheamAnnouncing its foray into the convenience sector in July 2008 54 Waitrose opened its first convenience shop in Nottingham in December of that year 55 In September 2009 it was announced that a large scale rollout of the concept was planned opening up to 300 shops in 5 to 10 years The new arm will operate in a two tier environment with the majority of sites expected to trade from 2 500 to 3 000 sq ft and some trading from a larger 5 000 7 000 sq ft floor plate 56 A trial of a little Waitrose fascia on smaller floor plate shops may yet lead to brand differentiation of some or all of the convenience estate 57 Shell operates a series of Little Waitrose stores at selected petrol stations in the UK 58 Welcome Break Edit In May 2009 Waitrose started a franchise deal with the motorway service station operator Welcome Break 59 Online presence EditOcado Edit In April 2000 the online food retailer Ocado was launched with the Ocado service being only available in certain areas of Britain John Lewis Partnership came on board as a principal supplier and part owner in October 2000 although the relationship between the two began formally in January 2002 In August 2020 Waitrose announced they would cease operations with Ocado which ended on 1 September 2020 Ocado partnered with Waitrose s rival store Marks amp Spencer 60 Arrangements were amended in 2010 to a ten year agreement to supply products to Ocado 61 In February 2011 John Lewis Pension trust divested itself of its Ocado shares 62 Waitrose com Edit Waitrose operates its own delivery service Waitrose com previously WaitroseDeliver which originally was only available in certain shops delivering goods ordered through the internet and serviced from the local branch Not to be confused with Ocado which is an unrelated business which formerly had a licence to distribute Waitrose items until 1 September 2020 when Waitrose ended its relationship with Ocado to instead operate deliveries solely by itself from centralised fulfilment centres 60 As well as ordinary online groceries shopping Waitrose com also hosts the online ordering system for Waitrose s special order food and cakes service Waitrose Entertaining Waitrose became the first supermarket to abolish all delivery charges as of May 2009 63 In October 2011 Waitrose opened a Dotcom Fulfilment Centre in Acton West London less than two miles from its original shop The shop employs over 200 Partners and provides Waitrose internet food deliveries for most of west and central London from a dedicated site The shop whilst not open to the public is laid out in a similar manner to a regular shop and even offers service counter lines much like a normal Waitrose supermarket 64 In March 2020 Waitrose announced that it was to add its Waitrose com online delivery service to 24 more of its stores across the UK in preparation for its split with Ocado in September 2020 65 Closed sold stores EditWaitrose closed four convenience shops and one supermarket in the UK in 2018 66 This was followed by the announcement of twelve further store closures in 2019 67 68 In September 2020 a further four stores were announced as closing 69 2014 Edit Dartford Kent2015 Edit Littlehampton West Sussex Re located to Rustington2016 Edit Leeds City Centre West Yorkshire Tottenham Court Road London2017 Edit Cardiff Queen Street Hertford Hertfordshire Huntingdon Cambridgeshire Leek Staffordshire Re opened as Lidl Palmers Green London Re located to Winchmore Hill Staines upon Thames Surrey Re opened as M amp S Foodhall2018 Edit Spinningfields Manchester Manchester Piccadilly station Colmore Row Birmingham Re opened as Co op 2019 Portman Square London Camden Town LondonSpring 2019 Edit Torquay Re opened as Lidl June 2020 Teignmouth Re opened as Lidl January 2020 Blaby Leicestershire Barry Vale of Glamorgan Ashbourne DerbyshireAutumn 2019 Edit Bromley Oadby Wollaton Sandhurst Marlow Stevenage Waterside building British Airways headquarters Spring 2020 Edit Four Oaks Helensburgh Waterlooville 70 Autumn 2020 Edit Wolverhampton Reopened as Tesco June 2021 Shrewsbury Now a Greggs Caldicot Monmouthshire Ipswich Corn Exchange2022 Edit Croydon London Newcastle Tyne amp WearAwards and acclaims EditWaitrose has received a number of awards Its wines have been given awards by Decanter magazine and the International Wine and Spirit Competition 71 72 The supermarket chain has also received awards for its retail service including awards from Which magazine 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA have given Waitrose awards for animal welfare 80 81 See also Edit nbsp Berkshire portal nbsp Companies portal nbsp Organised labour portalList of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom Publix a similar employee owned regional supermarket in the United StatesReferences Edit a b Annual Report for the year ended 31 January 2022 PDF John Lewis Partnership p 99 Retrieved 10 April 2023 Mattinson Alec 4 May 2018 Waitrose shed more than 3 700 staff last year accounts show The Grocer WAITROSE LIMITED overview Find and update company information GOV UK Companies House 3 September 1908 Retrieved 1 July 2023 Register of data protection fee payers Entry details Information Commissioner s Office 8 January 2002 Retrieved 3 September 2023 Terms and Conditions Waitrose Retrieved 3 September 2023 Head Office Location John Lewis Partnership Archived from the original on 5 August 2011 Waitrose head office Waitrose Limited Doncastle Road Southern Industrial Area Bracknell Berkshire RG12 8YA John Lewis Partnership Who we are John Lewis Partnership Retrieved 20 April 2023 YouGov 10 July 2022 The Most Popular Supermarket Chains yougov co uk Retrieved 10 July 2022 Waitrose John Lewis Partnership John Lewis Partnership plc Archived from the original on 29 December 2018 Retrieved 27 December 2017 Ruddick Graham 27 December 2013 Changing the upmarket perception of Waitrose The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 8 January 2014 Wood Zoe 29 June 2011 Waitrose or Lidl Shoppers in a divided Britain compare supermarkets deals The Guardian London Retrieved 8 January 2014 Supermarket wars Now upmarket Waitrose wants to open branch in Stoke Newington Hackney Citizen 18 September 2013 Retrieved 8 January 2014 Womack Sarah 2 December 2002 Waitrose awarded a royal warrant The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 25 February 2009 The Waitrose Press Centre Another Royal Warrant for Waitrose Waitrose presscentre com Archived from the original on 5 March 2012 Retrieved 25 December 2012 a b Company History Waitrose Retrieved 25 February 2009 Founders Ciao Archived from the original on 10 July 2010 Retrieved 25 February 2010 Acquisition of small food chains by Linda Moroney Waitrosememorystore co uk Retrieved 31 March 2016 Exciting times as Waitrose and Great Cornish Food Shop open West Briton 16 June 2016 Retrieved 16 June 2016 permanent dead link Somerfield sells shops BBC News 26 January 2000 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Finch Julia 26 March 2004 Waitrose buys former Safeway shops The Guardian London Retrieved 25 February 2009 Finch Julia 19 June 2008 Is Woolies finished The Guardian London Retrieved 25 February 2009 Creevy Jennifer 24 September 2009 Waitrose chases convenience market and signs deal with Boots UK Retail Week Retrieved 25 December 2012 Zuke Elinor 30 August 2012 Boots turns to Musgrave after Waitrose trial flops The Grocer Retrieved 25 December 2012 Sarah Butler 7 March 2019 John Lewis cuts staff bonus to lowest level since 1953 The Guardian Confirmed Waitrose renew with Royals www readingfc co uk Retrieved 23 May 2016 ECB loses crucial wicket as Waitrose announces it will not renew sponsorship deal International Business Times UK 12 February 2016 Retrieved 23 May 2016 Waitrose s Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith ads banned The Guardian 20 October 2010 Retrieved 18 October 2021 Smithers Rebecca 10 September 2009 Waitrose in deal with Prince Charles s Duchy Originals food company The Guardian London Retrieved 27 May 2010 The New Face Of British Organic Food Duchy Originals 2 August 2010 Archived from the original on 6 August 2010 Retrieved 5 August 2010 2010 Waitrose Brand Extension Case Study The Marketing Society 9 June 2012 Retrieved 23 January 2017 Harry Wallop 1 April 2016 Why Waitrose is launching its first premium range The Telegraph Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 15 June 2016 Hegarty Ronan Waitrose revamps premium No 1 range with 200 products added The Grocer Faithfull Mark 23 August 2022 Waitrose spices up Cooks Ingredients range for Tik Tok inspired chefs Retail Gazette www retailgazette co uk Waitrose to launch Heston Blumenthal range Marketing Week 16 July 2010 Waitrose unveils first loyalty card in strategic shift Marketing Magazine Haymarket Retrieved 27 December 2013 Waitrose ramps up 10 off deal for myWaitrose card holders The Grocer William Reed Business Media Retrieved 27 December 2013 Ruddick Graham 27 December 2013 Waitrose boss attacks meaningless loyalty cards The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 27 December 2013 Gosden Emily 30 December 2013 Waitrose faces middle class backlash after free coffee attracts wrong kind of customer The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 30 December 2013 Wood Zoe 2 May 2012 Waitrose matches Tesco prices with never knowingly undersold pledge The Guardian London Retrieved 2 April 2015 Wheaton Oliver 16 March 2015 Waitrose are getting a battering over running Taste of Israel advert Metro Retrieved 11 April 2015 Savage John 2014 The Corporate Irresponsibility Committee Brown Dog ISBN 9781903056783 Retrieved 13 January 2019 Salaman Graeme Storey Jon 2016 A Better Way of Doing Business Oxford University Press ISBN 9780198782827 Retrieved 13 January 2019 John Lewis profits and bonuses up BBC 6 March 2008 Retrieved 14 August 2016 John Lewis profits and bonuses axed Sky 17 September 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Raising Money For Charity Waitrose Archived from the original on 17 February 2009 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Waitrose Foundation Waitrose Archived from the original on 15 August 2011 Retrieved 7 March 2011 Waitrose MBA Trainee Guide Key Management Decisions PDF www andidas com March 2003 Retrieved 21 December 2015 Waitrose Unveils Fifth Branch in Scotland Scotland Food And Drink Retrieved 29 March 2013 Waitrose opens first stations branch Press release Waitrose Media Centre 19 August 2014 Retrieved 27 December 2015 Tiffany Holland 19 August 2014 In pictures Waitrose opens first train station shop in London s King s Cross Retail Week Retrieved 27 December 2015 Waitrose free coffee will have a trial return in some stores BBC 10 March 2022 Retrieved 2 May 2022 Marianne Calnan 10 April 2018 Waitrose to end free hot drinks in cafes and remove disposable takeaway cups The Grocer Waitrose in Dubai deal to open first shops abroad Reuters 31 December 2007 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Thompson James 9 July 2008 Waitrose to open convenience shops in pursuit of 27bn market The Independent London Waitrose First Convenience Shop Opens For Business supermarket co uk 11 December 2008 Retrieved 5 June 2011 Finch Julia Wearden Graeme 24 September 2009 Waitrose to open 300 strong network of convenience shops The Guardian London Retrieved 5 June 2011 Little Waitrose opens in London Retrieved 5 June 2011 Little Waitrose amp Partners Shell Retrieved 2 May 2022 Waitrose agrees first franchise deal with Welcome Break Waitrose Press Office 1 April 2009 Archived from the original on 15 August 2009 Retrieved 3 April 2009 a b I thought Ocado was the online service for Waitrose amp Partners Are they different Waitrose Retrieved 28 March 2021 Yes we re two separate companies Ocado is an online only retailer that currently buys groceries from Waitrose amp Partners and other companies and delivers them to shoppers from its warehouses The relationship between the two began formally in January 2002 Waitrose amp Partners had started its own delivery service but due to our relatively small size at that time we needed the help of an established network such as Ocado Until 31 August 2020 both Ocado and waitrose com had been delivering Waitrose amp Partners own brand products but from 1 September 2020 the only place you can buy Waitrose amp Partners products is in our stores on at waitrose com Waitrose and Ocado Announce New 10 Year Branding and Sourcing Deal John Lewis Partnership 10 May 2010 Archived from the original on 16 July 2011 Retrieved 7 March 2011 Ocado shares hit after John Lewis sells stake BBC News 11 February 2011 Retrieved 7 March 2011 WaitroseDeliver Waitrose Archived from the original on 18 June 2007 Retrieved 25 February 2009 The Waitrose Press Centre Waitrose dotcom fulfilment centre opens in London Waitrose presscentre com Archived from the original on 6 January 2013 Retrieved 25 December 2012 Wells Liz 2 March 2020 Waitrose expands online delivery network Talking Retail Retrieved 4 March 2020 Sarah Butler and agency 27 June 2018 Five Waitrose stores to close after John Lewis issues warning on profits The Guardian Retrieved 26 September 2019 Elias Jahshan 7 March 2019 440 jobs at risk as Waitrose announces 5 store closures Retail Gazette Retrieved 26 September 2019 Sahar Nazir 19 July 2019 Waitrose to close 7 shops risking 677 jobs Retail Gazette Retrieved 26 September 2019 Waitrose announces closure of four stores BBC 16 September 2020 Retrieved 18 October 2021 Branch closures announcement 25 March 2020 Waitrose Wins Wine Award Grand Slam Archived from the original on 19 September 2012 Retrieved 1 July 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards gives Waitrose Top Accolade Decanter 5 September 2007 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Waitrose and John Lewis named top of the shops by Which Webwire Retrieved 25 February 2009 Re Fresh Awards Winners 2006 Re Fresh 11 May 2006 Archived from the original on 16 December 2008 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Re Fresh Awards Winners 2007 Re Fresh 10 May 2007 Archived from the original on 16 December 2008 Retrieved 25 February 2009 A night of celebration for Seafood Award winners Fish Update 23 March 2009 Archived from the original on 16 December 2008 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Waitrose tops survey while Tesco is lowest rated 20 February 2013 Retrieved 10 March 2015 Waitrose Voted Top Food Retailer for Customer Service Waitrose Press Office 19 January 2009 Archived from the original on 25 August 2009 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Caroline Mortimer 1 January 2016 Britain s best value supermarket Waitrose comes top of Which Best Buy rankings for own brand products The Independent Retrieved 1 January 2016 Past Winners 2007 RSPCA Archived from the original on 7 December 2008 Retrieved 25 February 2009 Waitrose wins double title at Compassion in World Farming Awards for its work on welfare Archived from the original on 15 August 2012 Retrieved 1 July 2012 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waitrose Official website nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Waitrose amp oldid 1178782682, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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