Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Waitrose has today (Tuesday January 27) announced that it expects to create 2,000 jobs in new and extended shops, as well as in a new e-commerce grocery depot, in 2015.
The grocery chain is opening 14 shops across the UK from spring this year, including seven new supermarkets and seven new little Waitrose convenience shops. This comes on top of the two shops which have already opened this month in Egham and Walbrook. It is also relocating one supermarket and carrying out two major extensions to existing branches. Together, they will add almost 230,000sq ft of selling space to the estate.
The new supermarkets include Wollaton (Nottinghamshire) Milngavie (East Dumbartonshire), Bagshot (Surrey), Oxford, King’s Cross (which will incorporate a new cookery school), Basingstoke (Hampshire) and Guildford (Surrey). Waitrose Horsham will be relocated, doubling the size of the current supermarket, and the branches in Saffron Walden and Bayswater will both undergo major redevelopments. It also plans to add a new little Waitrose in Heathfield (East Sussex) and a further six convenience shops in new locations in the south-east.
The retailer will create additional roles in its distribution department to service its expanding number of branches. These roles will add to the additional jobs Waitrose has already announced for the capital through the opening of a new e-commerce grocery depot in Coulsdon, South London this March.
Waitrose director of development Nigel Kee said: “Our expansion story continues as we take the brand to more customers and invest in our omni-channel approach. Last year many of our new branches received than more than 10 applications for every vacancy – so we’re delighted to be able to create an additional 2,000 roles in 2015.”
Waitrose currently has 336 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 60 convenience branches and another 29 shops at Welcome Break locations.
