Waitrose Targets Suburbs With New ‘Neighbourhood’ Store Format

Waitrose is preparing to expand a new medium-sized store format designed to bridge the gap between its full supermarkets and smaller convenience shops.

The retailer is reportedly seeking locations across the UK for its new “neighbourhood” stores, which will place a strong emphasis on fresh food, larger bakery sections and ingredients for cooking at home.

At approximately 7,000 sq ft, the shops will be significantly larger than a typical Little Waitrose convenience store, which generally occupies between 2,500 and 3,000 sq ft, but smaller than the retailer’s conventional supermarkets, which range from around 10,000 to 25,000 sq ft.

Each neighbourhood store is expected to stock approximately 6,500 products and provide around 50 parking spaces. The format is intended to serve customers completing a larger weekly shop as well as those calling in for top-up purchases.

Waitrose is looking for appropriately sized sites in suburban communities and commuter towns with strong customer footfall.

Around 20 branches are reported to be operating in the format. The latest opened at Chelmer Village Retail Park in Essex during July, while other locations include Leatherhead and Oxted in Surrey, Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, Knutsford in Cheshire and Jesmond in Newcastle.

The neighbourhood format forms part of Waitrose’s wider £1 billion, multi-year investment programme, covering new shops and improvements to its existing estate.

In April, the retailer confirmed that 30 stores would be refurbished during 2026. It also announced plans for a new 3,000 sq ft Little Waitrose on Ascot High Street and an expansion of its partnership with Welcome Break.

The programme has already brought upgrades to supermarkets in Haslemere, Barnet, Chiswick, Ruislip and Menai Bridge, as well as convenience stores in Knutsford and Muswell Hill. Improvements have included redesigned bakeries and modernised meat and fish counters. Waitrose confirmed the investment plans in April.

Alongside its neighbourhood-store expansion, Waitrose is preparing to open larger supermarkets in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, and Cricklewood in north-west London in the autumn.

A 30,000 sq ft supermarket is also scheduled to open in the new Brabazon development in north Bristol in 2027. The site will be Waitrose’s first new full-line supermarket since before the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to create approximately 150 jobs.

The rollout reflects Waitrose’s attempt to reach more customers through a broader mix of store sizes. By combining a substantial fresh-food and cooking range with the convenience of a smaller local branch, the neighbourhood concept is designed to occupy the space between a traditional supermarket and a limited-range convenience shop.