John Lewis Partnership sells parcel of land at Leckford Estate

Friday 17 January 2020

The John Lewis Partnership has today announced the sale completion of a parcel of land belonging to the Waitrose & Partners Farm at Leckford Estate in Hampshire. The 466ha parcel of land (1,200 acres) has been sold to a private buyer for an undisclosed figure.  

The transaction includes the sale of two farm cottages and a cluster of farm buildings currently on the land. The land is primarily under arable use and we will continue to provide the new landowner with farming services under a Contract Farming Agreement for an initial period of three  years. The sale will not impact the Leckford Estate’s product lines for Waitrose & Partners.  

The Leckford Estate, which recently celebrated its 90th year within the John Lewis Partnership, will continue to supply Waitrose & Partners stores all around the UK with milk, flour, cox cider, apple juice, sparkling wine, apples, pears, mushrooms and rapeseed oil.

Waitrose & Partners remains the only UK supermarket to own its own farm, with the Leckford Estate welcoming around 10,000 customers and visitors every year to see its many attractions, including its world renowned water gardens and national plant collections, river Test fishing, fishing lakes, golf courses, nursery and farm shop and café.

Rob Collins, Managing Director at Waitrose & Partners said: “Regularly reviewing all of our property holdings is a vital part of ensuring the future strength and sustainability of the John Lewis Partnership.  Following this sale, we still own 2,800 acres of land at Leckford meaning that this fantastic farm - run by a brilliant group of Partners - will continue its development, focusing on where it delivers significant strategic value to our business while also releasing important investment capital.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT THE JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP

The John Lewis Partnership owns and operates two of Britain's best-loved retail brands - John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners. Started as a radical idea nearly a century ago, the Partnership is now the largest employee-owned business in the UK, with more than 80,000 employees who are all Partners in the business and share in its profits. The Partnership operates on strong democratic principles, which means that every Partner has a say in how the organisation is run. The business has annual gross sales of over £11.7bn, 388 shops and a leading online business. Its commercial strategy is focused on differentiation rather than scale, through investment in innovation and Partner-led service.

ABOUT WAITROSE & PARTNERS

Waitrose & Partners has 338 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 eleven 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.

ENQUIRIES

John Lewis Partnership


Sarah Henderson
Partner & Senior External Communications Manager
Tel: 07764 676036

Waitrose & Partners


Gill Smith
Partner & Senior Corporate PR Manager
Tel: 07887 898133