The retailer is opening 14 shops across the UK from spring this year, including seven new supermarkets and seven new little Waitrose convenience shops. This comes on top of the two shops which have already opened this month in Egham and Walbrook.

It is also relocating one supermarket and carrying out two major extensions to existing branches.

Together, they will add almost 230,000 sq ft of selling space to the estate continuing the Waitrose expansion of recent years.

The new supermarkets include Wollaton (Nottinghamshire) Milngavie (East Dumbartonshire), Bagshot (Surrey), Oxford, King's Cross (which will incorporate a new cookery school), Basingstoke (Hampshire) and Guildford (Surrey).

Waitrose Horsham will be relocated, doubling the size of the current supermarket, and the branches in Saffron Walden and Bayswater will both undergo major redevelopments.

It also plans to add a new little Waitrose in Heathfield (East Sussex) and a further six convenience shops in new locations in the south east.

The business will be also be creating additional roles in its distribution department in order to service its expanding number of branches.

These roles will add to the additional jobs Waitrose has already announced for the capital through the opening of a new e-commerce grocery depot in Coulsdon, South London this March.

Waitrose director of development, Nigel Keen, said: 'Our expansion story continues as we take the brand to more customers and invest in our omni-channel approach.

'Last year many of our new branches received than more than 10 applications for every vacancy - so we're delighted to be able to create an additional 2,000 roles in 2015.'

Notes to editors

About Waitrose:

• Waitrose currently has 336 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 60 convenience branches and another 29 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's omnichannel business includes the online grocery service, Waitrose.com, through which customers can choose to have their shopping delivered direct to their home or collect items from their local branch with a Click & Collect service. Waitrose also operates direct services websites including a specialist wine website (waitrosecellar.com), a pet products website (waitrosepet.com) and a flowers and gifts ordering service via waitrosedirect.com.
• The new e-commerce grocery depot at Coulsdon is scheduled to open on 3 March 2015. It will be a purpose-built modern operation with over 80,000 sq ft and double the capacity of the current facility in Acton DFC.  
  
  

Enquiries

For further information please contact:

Rob Cadwell
Senior Press Officer at Waitrose
Telephone: 01344 826182
Email: rob.cadwell@waitrose.co.uk