First ever ‘Little Waitrose at John Lewis’ opens

The John Lewis Partnership has opened the doors to its first-ever ‘Little Waitrose at John Lewis’ shop today.

The new shop within the John Lewis department store in Watford represents a £2 million investment by the retailer and has created 30 jobs in the local area.

Building on the established Little Waitrose format, the 5,500 sq ft space run by John Lewis staff sells a range of core grocery items including fresh fruit and deli products, convenience ranges, store cupboard items, and wines and beer. The store also features meat and fish counters manned by specialists in the shop who can offer expert advice to customers.

The opening follows yesterday’s win for John Lewis at the Which? Awards where the business achieved the accolade of Best Retailer.

Rob Collins, retail director, Waitrose said: “Since its launch two years ago the little Waitrose brand has provided us with greater flexibility in bringing our offer to new audiences as well as building on our reputation for quality. There are still many parts of the country where customers cannot access the Waitrose brand easily and convenience is integral to unlocking much of that opportunity.”

Andy Street, managing director, John Lewis added: “We are committed to making the shopping experience as seamless as possible. By working closely with Waitrose, our customers will now be able to buy products from both brands in a convenient and efficient way. The little Waitrose at John Lewis shop is a brand new concept for the business and we’ll be looking closely at how it is received by shoppers in Watford before considering how it could be introduced at other shops across the UK.”