Waitrose Unpacked refillables test launches in Cheltenham as retailer unveils new look store

Friday 6 September 2019

A dedicated refillable zone, frozen ‘pick and mix’, freshly made sushi and dry-aged beef are just some of the new features customers at Waitrose & Partners Cheltenham can expect to find after unveiling its new look today. 

It becomes only the second store in the UK to introduce ‘Waitrose Unpacked’ where customers can choose from a selection of packaging-free products to test how customers might be prepared to shop differently, with the aim of saving thousands of tonnes of plastic. 

As such, the Cheltenham shop will have a dedicated refillable zone*, including dispensers for dried products, frozen ‘pick and mix’, coffee, wine and beer refills, as well as Ecover detergent and washing up liquid refillables. 

Customers at Waitrose & Partners Cheltenham can also look forward to:

• A new sushi counter, offering customers sushi which has been freshly made in store, in partnership with Sushi Daily
• A new dry-aged beef cabinet
• A Cookery School which will host demos by Waitrose experts
• A larger, newly designed cafe with a wider menu
• Self-serve checkouts 
• Updated meat, fish, cheese and deli counters with 10% off when customers bring their own containers, for a limited time 
• A new self-serve bakery
• Updated beer, wine and spirits department with a larger assortment

Mike Snowdon, Branch Manager at Waitrose & Partners Cheltenham, said:

“We are the second largest Waitrose shop in our estate so this represents a significant investment and we’re excited to show our customers the transformation that has taken place. 

“We’re thrilled to be only the second of our shops to have Waitrose Unpacked and will be looking for as much feedback as possible from our customers. We’re still testing the different concepts so Cheltenham shoppers will have a huge say on how we can develop ideas which have the potential to be rolled out more widely.”

The supermarket originally launched its Unpacked test in its Oxford Botley Road shop in June, and, following an overwhelmingly positive response with more than 90 per cent of those surveyed saying they would continue to shop Unpacked, announced it would be extending the test there and in three more shops by the end of this year. 

Waitrose is seeking to get as much feedback as possible on its Unpacked test. Customers can share their thoughts via a feedback survey on Waitrose.com/Unpacked, and by using #WaitroseUnpacked Twitter and Instagram.

*Waitrose Unpacked at Cheltenham includes: 

• Essential refillables - 28 products including pasta, rice, grains, couscous, lentils, cereals, dried fruit and seeds have been taken out of packaging and is available through dispensers
• Frozen pick and mix - Frozen mango, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, pineapple and raspberries are packaging free
• Detergent and washing up liquid refillables - Waitrose & Partners is the first supermarket to partner with Ecover to provide refills of detergent and washing up liquid 
• Wine and beer refillables - Four different wines and four different beers are available on tap to take home in reusable bottles 
• Coffee refills - Customers can grind one of four coffees in store to take home in a reusable container to reduce glass and plastic packaging 

About Waitrose & Partners

Waitrose & Partners has 344 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. It combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop - dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. Waitrose & Partners is an employee-owned business - all employees are Partners and have a say in how the business is run.

Waitrose & Partners exports products to more than 50 countries worldwide and has nine shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. The retailer's omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose.com, as well as specialist online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitroseflorist.com for plants and flowers.