The 132 page magazine, called Waitrose Garden, is the first issue in a seasonal series, with issue two following later this year. The magazine will be available for free to all myWaitrose members.

Waitrose Garden has been designed to be both inspirational and practical. The main section of the magazine, on glossy paper, features five very different yet equally magnificent gardens. Each of these gardens is accompanied by a shopping spread for customers to recreate the look themselves, with recommendations from the Waitrose specialist online gardening shop, waitrosegarden.com.

The glossy section also includes a comprehensive guide for the avid garden explorer, featuring advice and recommendations from popular writers, editors and presenters. The new Spring issue sees Simon Calder explore the Essex countryside, Julia Bradbury invite readers on a walk through Epping Forest and Waitrose Good Food Guide Editor, Liz Carter, recommend the finest local South East eateries.

The second part of Waitrose Garden, in the centre of the magazine, is a smaller 24 page pull-out edited by the nation's favourite gardener, Alan Titchmarsh. Alan's Garden Know-How is the perfect practical guide for any green-fingered Waitrose customer, packed full of expert tips, advice and step-by-step projects to try at home.

Alan Titchmarsh says: 'I'm thrilled to be a part of the new Waitrose Garden magazine and I can't wait to share my gardening tips and tricks with Waitrose customers in my Garden Know-How section.'

Waitrose is now a market-leader in producing editorial content for customers across all channels. As well as the new gardening title, Waitrose also produces Waitrose Weekend, a free newspaper with a weekly circulation of nearly 400,000 readers; Waitrose Food, the supermarket's popular monthly food magazine; and Waitrose TV, the brand's online television portal, which has proved a powerful way of talking directly to customers in the digital age.

Rupert Thomas, Waitrose Marketing Director, says: 'We know that gardening is the second most popular pastime for our customers after cooking, so this represents a real opportunity for our brand. Waitrose Garden is full of varied and captivating content, so whether the reader is new to gardening or a long-term enthusiast, we hope that it is a magazine they will enjoy.'

Waitrose has seen a 13% growth in outdoor plants in the past year, with perennials up 40%. Bedding plants, up 24%, have also driven growth in this area, with Geraniums being the top choice for Waitrose customers.

Notes to editors

• The magazine is free to all myWaitrose members on presentation and scanning of their myWaitrose card, with a cover price of £1.20.
• The magazine will be available in core branches, Little Waitrose shops and John Lewis Foodhalls (total of 329 branches), but will not be available in Welcome Break, Little Waitrose at Shell and Channel Island shops.
• Waitrose Garden will continue to be displayed in these branches until it runs out, so we advise customers to pick up a copy whilst they can.
  

Waitrose - winner of the Best Supermarket¹ and Best Food and Grocery Retailer² awards- currently has 346 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 60 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 also exports its products to 58 countries worldwide and has seven shops which operate under licence in the Middle East. Waitrose's omnichannel business includes the online grocery service Waitrose.com, as well as specialsit online shops including waitrosecellar.com for wine and waitrosekitchen.com for cookware, utensils and kithchen gadgets.

¹ Which? Customer Survey
² Verdict Customer Satisfaction Awards

Enquiries

For further information please contact:

Elli Share
Press Officer, Corporate
Telephone: 01344 825845
Email: elli.share@waitrose.co.uk