Waitrose to double stores by 2015

by Sarah Howard - 19/07/2010

"High end supermarket chain Waitrose plans to double its offering of shops by 2015, drawing on its recent successes in terms of revenue and customer satisfaction."

In company marketing news, the supermarket reports its plans to have 250 stores open by 2010, with a further 40 scheduled before 2015. Such outlets would increase the retailer’s portfolio dramatically – currently, Waitrose has just 228 stores across the UK. Expansion plans would increase the John Lewis-owned supermarket’s remit, putting it on a par with larger brands such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Talking to The Sunday Telegraph, managing director at Waitrose, Mark Price, commented about growth plans, saying: ”We’re massively outperforming the market… I’m very optimistic about Waitrose and I think we’ll forge ahead.”

Perhaps most important will be the creation of thousands of retail jobs, with Price confirming that 2,500 new ”partners” are to be welcomed into the company this year, bringing the number of staff up to 44,000.

”If anything our speed is building,” confirmed Price, admitting: ”We’ve got some very big figures to beat from the second half of last year but at the moment it’s all going extremely well.”

According to Marketing Week, the company has undergone some restructuring with the marketing team being relocated and its director Rupert Thomas seeing a promotion to the Waitrose management board. Nevertheless, it seems such changes have proved a positive for the chain that has such a good reputation in the minds of consumers.

More Details: http://www.ukmarketingnews.com/waitrose-to-double-stores-by-2015/