Waitrose Unveils Groundbreaking ‘Home of Food Lovers’ Concept Store With Tech-Driven Fresh Produce Focus

Waitrose has unveiled a new chapter in food retail with the opening of its first “Home of Food Lovers” concept store in Newbury.

Designed as a flagship site for innovation, the 27,000 sq ft store marks the start of a new era in how the retailer presents, manages and celebrates fresh produce.

A Fresh Take on Fresh Produce

At the heart of the new concept is a completely reimagined fresh produce department that celebrates quality, sustainability and provenance. The area has been redesigned to showcase organic, Fairtrade and regeneratively farmed fruit and vegetables, giving customers a more immersive and informative shopping experience.

Beyond produce, Waitrose has introduced expanded service counters – including a dedicated butchery, fishmonger and dry-aged beef area – to elevate the overall fresh food offer. A five-metre “Cheese Island”, stocked with nearly 100 artisan varieties, brings the expertise of trained partners to the forefront, offering tastings and guidance for customers eager to explore new flavours.

A new “Food Lovers Hub” serves as an inspiration point within the store, bringing seasonal ingredients, wine pairings and recipes together in one place. The goal is to transform the weekly shop into a sensory, educational experience that connects shoppers more deeply with the food they buy.

Technology at the Heart of Innovation

Waitrose has paired this renewed focus on fresh produce with a major investment in technology. The retailer is rolling out £50 million worth of digital upgrades across its estate, and the Newbury store is the first to showcase several of these developments.

Among them are electronic shelf labels that update prices and promotions in real time, reducing paper waste and improving efficiency. Staff are now equipped with handheld devices that provide instant product information, helping them respond to customer queries and check stock levels on the spot.

Shelf-edge cameras are also being trialled to detect stock gaps in key fresh food areas, ensuring produce sections are always replenished and visually appealing. Perhaps most notably, Waitrose partners are testing a first-of-its-kind AI-powered app that responds to text or voice prompts to supply live information on product availability, location, nutrition and sustainability — even recipe suggestions and cooking tips.

This seamless integration of human expertise and technology aims to redefine the customer experience, giving shoppers a smarter, faster and more engaging way to shop fresh.

A Blueprint for the Future of Fresh

The Newbury store is the first major launch in Waitrose’s wider £1 billion investment programme, which includes store refurbishments and new openings over the coming years. It serves as a live testbed for concepts that could soon roll out nationwide.

For suppliers, this signals a clear direction of travel: retailers are increasingly positioning fresh produce as a premium, experience-led category powered by data and digital tools. The focus on regenerative farming, expert service and real-time stock visibility points towards a new standard in how fresh produce is sourced, displayed and sold.

With its blend of artisan expertise and cutting-edge technology, Waitrose’s “Home of Food Lovers” concept shows that the future of fresh produce retail lies not just in what’s on the shelf, but in how customers connect with it.