Waitrose
Waitrose joined the John Lewis Partnership in 1937 as a chain of 10 specialist food shops, with the first supermarket opening in 1955. Over the years our Partners have stayed true to Waitrose's beginnings, combining the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop. We have worked with producers and growers, pioneering local and organic products and championing sustainable sourcing, to build a network of 231 shops around the UK known for the freshness, quality, safety and provenance of the food we sell.
Tracey Geering, Waitrose East Grinstead
Waitrose has been recognised in Verdict's Consumer Satisfaction Index 2010 as top food and grocery retailer. Customers had highlighted the food division's relentless focus on quality, service and value as well as the essential Waitrose range.
Waitrose was awarded Best Supermarket in the prestigious Good Housekeeping Food Awards 2010. The consumer magazine called Waitrose its favourite store praising its 'quality ingredients, knowledgeable staff and welcoming in-store layout,' now joined, it said, ' by a fabulous range of essential products that give great value for money'.
The provenance and traceability of the food we sell is vitally important. Our buyers are experts in their own fields and spend much of their time with farmers, growers and suppliers, building relationships based on trust and respect with the people who produce the high quality food and unusual ingredients our customers eat.
Leading animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming has named Waitrose as the UK's Most Compassionate Supermarket 2009/10. The coveted accolade was awarded to Waitrose because of its ongoing commitment to high standards of farm animal welfare. Compassion in World Farming also awarded Waitrose with a sought-after Good Chicken Award. The Awards celebrate food companies who are raising the standard across their ranges of chicken to higher welfare indoor or free-range/organic. The judges said Waitrose showed 'incredible leadership' by making the decision to use higher welfare chicken across all its ranges.
Waitrose's 'Price Commitment' is our promise to give customers quality food that is honestly priced and represents excellent value.
At the 2010 Grocer Awards the supermarket division won Own-label Range of the Year for essential Waitrose, the Grocer 33 Customer Service Award and Grocer of the Year.
Waitrose's pioneering approach to sourcing fresh fruit and vegetables from the regions it trades in and clearly labelling them as such has won a Gold Award from The Grocer magazine.
At Waitrose, we have more Masters of Wine than any other supermarket, and all our wines go through a rigorous quality control and tasting process. We also have wine specialists in our branches offering expert advice and have an illustrious track record for achievements in wine retailing. Waitrose has been voted, Retailer of the Year 2008, by The Drinks Business magazine for its overall performance, innovation and responsible approach to alcohol retailing. The food division's high standards and a focus on premium price points made it stand out for the judges.
To find your nearest branch go to the Waitrose website (www.waitrose.com).
As the result of a franchise partnership food shops have been opened at a number of Welcome Break motorway service areas.
In a trial with Boots, Waitrose 'food for now' and 'food for later' will be offered in Boots branches and Boots health and toiletries lines will be on sale in our shops.
Waitrose was the first company to sign up to the Scottish Retailers' Charter, launched in June 2009, which aims to create a 'responsible approach' between retailers and suppliers.
Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal are joining forces with Waitrose as food ambassadors for the brand. In their first collaboration, they will be appearing in TV, press and online ads, sharing their expertise and showcasing recipes while championing individual ingredients. The 10-month campaign – Waitrose's first celebrity-fronted one – will start towards the end of March with a three-and-a-half minute TV advert in which the cooks demonstrate recipes using ingredients from Waitrose. This will be followed by a weekly series of half-minute slots. The advertisements are also available to view along with video recipes and other video content at the Waitrose YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/waitrose).
Shopping online
WaitroseDeliver is our branch based internet grocery service, which operates from over 100 branches across the country, one of our home delivery services. The service is designed to have all the benefits of your local Waitrose delivered to your door - free of charge. Waitrose was the first UK supermarket to abolish all delivery charges for online orders. For more details about WaitroseDeliver and our other shopping services, visit the Waitrose website (www.waitrose.com) to see if we deliver in your area.
With more of our customers turning to the internet for shopping, in 2000 we went into partnership with Ocado, the online service that delivers Waitrose groceries to many homes in the UK. Ocado also stocks a range of John Lewis products such as baby clothes and flowers. Visit the Ocado website (www.ocado.com) for more information.