WAITROSE, FOOD SHOPS OF THE JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP, SET TO OPEN NEW SHOPS IN SOUTHAMPTON AND LYMINGTON

WAITROSE, FOOD SHOPS OF THE JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP, SET TO OPEN NEW SHOPS IN SOUTHAMPTON AND LYMINGTON

Waitrose, the food shops of the John Lewis Partnership, has today unveiled plans for new food shops in Lymington and Southampton.

The new supermarkets will replace existing branches in West Quay Shopping Centre, Southampton and in St Thomas’s Street, Lymington. The shops are two of six supermarkets that Waitrose is buying from Morrisons.

A new larger shop in Standford Road, Lymington, will replace Waitrose’s existing branch in St Thomas’s Street.  The new shop, which will open on 9th November, will be twice the size of  the supermarket’s existing shop in the town, allowing Waitrose to offer customers a wider range of quality products and a more attractive shopping environment.

Waitrose is also planning to relocate in Southampton to the current Morrisons shop in Portswood Road. The new supermarket, which will open on 5th October, will replace the existing shop in the West Quay Shopping Centre and will be more accessible for food shopping.

All existing Partners at the Waitrose supermarkets in Lymington and Southampton will be offered the opportunity to transfer to the new branches. Morrisons  staff transferring to the new stores will also be entitled to share in the unique benefits of employee ownership, including a share of profits which are paid as annually as Partnership Bonus.

The newly acquired shops will be converted as part of a phased programme to be completed in time for Christmas. The conversion to a Waitrose will take place in just two weeks, minimising disruption to customers.

Steven Esom, Managing Director of Waitrose, said:

“We have looked carefully at the position of our branches in West Quay shopping centre and Lymington and have decided that these new sites offer a better opportunity to serve the local community and to build our business for the long term.

“We are ensuring the our Partners in both branches have a chance to remain with the business. Existing Morrisons employees will also have the opportunity to become Partners in our business and share the unique benefits of co-ownership.”
 
The other stores being acquired in the same deal are Hexham in Northumberland; Eastbourne in Sussex; Parkstone in Poole (Dorset) and Formby in Merseyside.
 
Waitrose currently has 179 branches (excluding the acquisition announced today) dedicated to offering quality fresh food, value and customer service. Nationally, Waitrose has almost 4% share of the retail food market. In the South of England, where it has its main presence, its market share is 7%.
 
The first shop was opened in 1904, in Acton by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor. The John Lewis Partnership acquired the business in 1937 and the first Waitrose supermarket opened in 1955.

The two Waitrose branches in Lymington and Southampton employ a total of 317 Partners. The two Morrisons branches employ 364 employees in total.

The new stores will continue to trade as Morrisons until completion of each store acquisition, a process which will take place in a phased programme over the coming months.

Waitrose employs more than 36,000 employees, who as a co-owned business are called Partners. Once a year the Partners benefit from a share of the profit in the form of Partnership Bonus which is distributed to all Partners as a share of salary. Additional benefits include a non-contributory pension scheme life assurance and shopping discounts.

www.waitrose.com