UK: Waitrose develops new store format to meet future shopping needs
Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose, says the new Food & Home format represents the supermarket’s strategic response to the way food retailing is changing. The first has opened in Salisbury following the redevelopment of an existing store.
“Food retail is undergoing huge structural change – driven by lifestyle changes and an increased use of technology,” said Price. “It is essential that our shops are at the forefront of our strategic response to these changes, preparing us for the future of retail and retaining our leadership in innovation and customer service in the grocery sector.”
Changes that reflect customers’ increased use of multichannel shopping include customer ordering tablets to place online orders in-store and the creation of a new building to house a larger delivery fleet. A new cookery school, Waitrose’s second after its Finchley Road, London, store, reflects a move to augment the in-store customer experience. Up to 16 students at a time will be able to take courses and one-hour masterclasses. The store also features Waitrose’s largest café to date, with 150 covers spread across indoor and outdoor seating.
Source: internetretailing.net
