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Why has Waitrose just opened in Weston-super-Mare, and what does it have to offer? 

Weston-super-Mare already has 4 of Britain’s top 5 supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons - in fact it’s known amongst the world of NAMs (National Account Managers who sell the wares of food producers to these giants) as one of few towns representative of the demographics of the country as a whole; a supermarket shopping version of those key seats in politics where results reflect the likely outcome in the UK as a whole. 

So why, in these times when local sourcing and foodmiles are increasingly recognised as serious issues, has Waitrose just opened in Weston-super-Mare, and what does it have to offer? 

“I think there’s definitely a market for us as well, the interest that we’ve generated in the short time we’ve been open has proved that” says Eleanor Sparks, Department Manager, “I also think there is a need for consumers to have as much choice as possible.  

I hope the standard we drive for customer service sets us apart.  Waitrose is a co-owned business and we are all partners rather than employees.  We all share a percentage of the profits, we don’t have share-holders. It makes for a much nicer environment to work in.  We’ve got partners who used to work at Iceland, 5 or 6 from Woolworths and a lady from Adams, all of which closed down recently.

Our meat and fish counters have been especially well received, that’s indicative of the fact that our competitors don’t have the same offer.  We do wine very, very well as a business too.

From my point of view personally, it’s really important that we’ve used an existing building (previously B&Q and Iceland), rather than taking up more land.  It’s a really important message to send out to people that we were happy to go into a site where we’ve had to do a lot of work.

Personally I love the choice on the fish counter and the fact that it hasn’t been previously frozen, I really love the rotisserie chickens too, all from select farms adhering to RSPCA standards, and the assortment of pre-packed olives we have, plus the olive bar.”

But for a chain that is perceived to be expensive, wasn’t it incredibly bad timing to open in the middle of a recession?

“We have invested heavily in driving better, deeper promotions over the last 12 months, looking at promotion ends that are very clearly defined for example as 1/3 off or BOGOF.  You have the impact of a promo end and you know that everything on there is 1/3 off, which hopefully makes it clearer from a customer’s point of view and reinforces the message.

We also have the new essential Waitrose range, everyday items in clearly identifiable packaging, priced reasonably, without compromising on quality. It’s a big mis-conception that the range is supposed to compete with the likes of Tesco Value or Asda Basics.” 

To test the theory I visited the store with a shopping list, items that I would usually buy from another supermarket and items that I would locally. No prizes for guessing which items are which!

Here’s what I found:

Fairy washing powder – on offer 1/3 off

Fairy washing up liquid – on offer 1/3 off

Marmite - £2.43 vs £2.25 Tesco

Spaghetti - £1.09 1kg essential Waitrose vs £1.12 Tesco (2 x 500g packs)

Yoghurt for myself and the children – all Yeo Valley 25% off, perfect!

Coffee – husbands favourite 1/3 off

Strawberries – essential Waitrose from West Sussex £1.99 454g punnet or 2 for £3. None from Somerset, quality was good.

Apples – essentials Braeburn. None from Somerset, sharper than expected

Plums – Mike Bentley’s from Gloucester, £2.49 400g.  Delicious.

A very restricted list I know, but it did reflect Eleanor’s comments.

I also came away ‘meal deal’ for two for £10, gingerbread butterflies for my girls and a bottle of Somerset Orchards Browns Apple Juice (partly in support of dear Rosie, but also because it’s wonderful!)

The meal deal offered a choice of 20 plus main courses, accompaniments and desserts from across the Waitrose ranges Seriously Different, Easy to Cook and As Good as Going Out.  This deal has finished now, but there is a new one in store until mid November, aimed at scratch cooks, where customers can can choose a pack of casserole meat, vegetables, a dessert and wine to feed four for £10.  There are free recipe cards for each of the meats too.

 “Our patisserie counter is a big point of difference for us, in terms of customer choice, but also because it allows us to cut down on packaging; a customer can choose something and take it home in a paper bag that can be recycled” says Eleanor.

Most of the supermarkets now offer locally sourced food, obviously trying to counteract the popularity of farmers markets etc, but welcome nonetheless.  Waitrose is no exception, recognising the importance of these lines to customers.  Products are merchandised within the product categories, where shelf tags identify those from Somerset.  In the cider section I found Thatchers Katy and Katy Rose, as well as Sheppy’s Dabinett and Falstaff, but also Magners and even Spanish cider.

Shouldn’t we all be shopping at Farmers Markets?

“Being a realist the convenience of being able to do your whole shop in one place is a big pull, especially for those who work full time. The nice thing about offering local produce is that at least if you want to go to one destination and do your whole shop you are able to choose to buy local products as well as regional products not available from farmers markets.  For example you can buy Cornish crab here, but that would be hard to get in a farmers market" says Eleanor.

"All of our pork is British, none of it is imported, I think that’s a really strong message for the consumer, if you can’t buy locally for whatever reason you can trust that you can buy British and that can bridge the gap.

A supplier can supply from just one store upwards, which is really encouraging.  Knowing you can sell into a minimum of one store makes it more achievable for local small suppliers.” 

My thoughts?

I shan’t be switching my fruit and veg buying, but I next time I’m in Weston I will certainly be tempted back to see the new meal deal, and to pick up some speciality and ‘different’ items that you don’t see elsewhere and whilst I’m there I’ll probably stock up on a few essentials too.  The atmosphere is relaxed, the store has a lovely pleasant feel and the customer service was a million miles from that I have recently experienced in another supermarket.  The whole experience was pleasant and didn’t feel like a chore.

The Quick Check scheme is great.  You register with a card, and then swipe card each time you come into the store to get a scanner, scan as you go round, pack as you go, into your own bags, come through a dedicated desk and pay using that card or another or cash. 

I also like the Community Matters scheme, where each time you shop you are given a token to put in a box for one of three local charities.  Every branch donate £1000pcm between the three, the proportions decided by the tokens.  (For the 200+ branches this adds up to £2.4m pa).

I chatted to several customers in the store and their feelings were divided, Mel Irons from Cheddar said “I wasn’t that impressed, I’ve bought some nice things, but I feel I spent a lot of money and didn’t come away with very much” 

On the other hand Dorothy Bailey, from Weston said “I love it here, there’s so many special things that you can’t get anywhere else,  I come here if I’m doing a dinner party or something”

If you don’t want to travel into Weston, Waitrose Deliver is a free and probably greener service covering Wedmore, Axbridge, Cheddar, Burnham on Sea, A38 corridor, Weston itself, Congresbury, Sandford and Churchill. 

Let us know what you think!

Would you like to work at Waitrose?

All vacancies are advertised online Waitrose.com/jobs or ask in store

Think you might like to supply Waitrose?

Contact head office initially and go through the correct buying director.

Would you like to nominate a charity for Community Matters?

Pick up a nomination form in store.