News 
Waitrose welcomes West End shoppers to first Glasgow store
19 November 2009
Waitrose Glasgow will open for business on Thursday 12th November at 08h30. The Byres Road store is the supermarket’s first in Glasgow and third in Scotland.
Waitrose, which is part of John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest employee-owned business, is championing local and regional suppliers, including several producers exclusive to the supermarket such as West, the Glasgow Green-based brewery; the Handmade Meringue Company and Gigha Island Halibut.
Of vital importance to Waitrose is the provenance and traceability of the food that is on the shelves. Waitrose buyers typically source products from smaller growers and suppliers where possible close to individual Waitrose stores. They also hold regular “Meet the Buyer” events where they aim to discover innovative, new products.
More than 250 Scottish lines will be stocked by Waitrose Byres Road store and the buying team is actively looking for other producers and suppliers from the Glasgow area, the west of Scotland and beyond.
Some companies, such as West Brewery, have never supplied supermarkets before but have agreed to supply Waitrose because they like its ethos and way of doing business.
As well as supporting local producers, Waitrose is a supermarket with a difference. As part of the John Lewis Partnership, all 166 Partners – as Waitrose employees are known – at the Byres Road store are co-owners of the business.
The Glasgow store represents an expansion by Waitrose in Scotland, part of an ambitious UK-wide growth strategy by the employee-owned supermarket. Last month Waitrose announced plans to build a brand new 25,000 sq foot store at Newton Mearns, which it plans to complete by 2011.
Waitrose managing director Mark Price said:
"We're delighted to be opening our first store in Glasgow as part of the biggest period of growth in the history of Waitrose. I’m confident there is a strong demand for quality food in the West End of Glasgow.
“This store, together with a brand new one we plan to build in Newton Mearns, is a further demonstration of our ambitions to make our brand far more accessible to Scottish consumers.”
Andy Loveday, Branch Manager of the new store said:
“It’s very exciting to be finally opening our first Glasgow store in the heart of the West End.
“We’re looking forward to showing our customers the sorts of things we think make us different to other supermarkets: our commitment to quality and great customer service, as you’d expect from a business that’s owned by its employees.
“I’m delighted to be able to bring our offer to Glasgow and am looking forward to becoming part of the local community.”
Waitrose will launch its Community Matters Initiative in the Glasgow store as soon as it opens, allowing customers to have a say in how £1,000 a month is spent on local charities and projects.
The online grocery shopping and free delivery service, WaitroseDeliver, will also be available from 12th November to shoppers living in a wide range of Glasgow postcodes.
FACTBOX
The Waitrose difference:
• Waitrose combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop and takes particular pride in the freshness and quality of the food it sells.
• Unlike other major supermarkets, Waitrose isn't owned by shareholders and the City. Instead, as part of the John Lewis Partnership, it's owned by everyone who works for the Partnership.
• Waitrose has this year been voted 'Britain's favourite supermarket' by Which? Magazine (Which? Survey, January 2009), Good Housekeeping Magazine (Good Housekeeping Awards, February 2009) and viewers of BBC Watchdog (BBC Watchdog viewer survey, February 2009).
• 100% of Waitrose fresh chicken, beef, pork, milk, eggs and cream are British, sourced from approved farms committed to the highest standards of quality and animal welfare
• Waitrose is the first supermarket to commit to stocking 100%, own label British dairy produce including dairy ingredients used in own-label yoghurts, dairy ice-cream, milk, cream, cheddar and butter
• All fish sold by Waitrose comes from sustainable wild sources or, if farmed, from responsible farming systems. It must be fully traceable from catch to consumer.
• Waitrose operates its own Responsible Sourcing Code ensuring its suppliers provide the best possible conditions for their employees, protect the environment and promote high standards of animal welfare
-ENDS-
For further information please contact Giselle Dye or Shaheena Abbas at Pagoda PR on t: 0131 556 0770/07739 085023 giselle.dye@pagodapr.com or shaheena.abbas@pagodapr.com or James Armstrong, Waitrose Property & Development Communications Manager t: 01344 82 4657/ 07764676880 james_armstrong@waitrose.co.uk
Notes to Editors
1. Byres Road will be the 220th Waitrose shop in the UK and the third in Scotland. The other two stores are both in Edinburgh – at Comely Bank and Morningside – and opened in 2006.
2. Waitrose is part of the John Lewis Partnership and is owned by its employees, called Partners. All Partners receive an annual share in its profits - this year, existing Partners received 13 per cent of their annual salary in their March pay packet, the equivalent of just under 7 weeks' wages.
3. Byres Road has 166 Partners, 64 of whom have joined from Somerfield and 5 from John Lewis bringing the total number of John Lewis Partners in Scotland to 2380.
4. This year, Waitrose introduced its Essential Waitrose range of 1500 everyday items with the quality and welfare standards you would expect from Waitrose at every day, affordable prices.
5. In April, Waitrose became the first UK supermarket to abolish delivery charges for online shopping with WaitroseDeliver. This move contributed to an 84 per cent increase in orders for the half year, with sales up 77 per cent.
6. In 2009 Waitrose has increased retail space by over 4% with the opening of 16 new and acquired shops and the opening of the first two Waitrose shops in Welcome Break service stations, creating 1,500 new jobs.
7. Waitrose has won more major wine awards than any other supermarket.
8. All job vacancies at Waitrose are advertised on www.jlpjobs.com
9. All Waitrose cod and haddock is Icelandic and line-caught. Waitrose recently came out top in the latest Marine Conservation Society (MCS) League Table. The survey examines the main UK supermarkets' commitment to sourcing fish from responsibly managed fisheries.
