Waitrose Opens First New Supermarket in Eight Years in London
Waitrose launches a Cricklewood store Thursday as part of a £1bn expansion plan, with a Greater Manchester location set to follow next month.
Waitrose is ending an eight-year pause in new supermarket openings with the launch of a store in Cricklewood, north London, on Thursday. The move is part of a broader £1bn investment plan by the upmarket British grocer as it looks to grow its physical retail footprint after years without a new full-size location.
A second supermarket is scheduled to open in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, next month, giving the chain back-to-back openings for the first time in nearly a decade. The dual launches signal a renewed commitment to bricks-and-mortar retail at a time when many grocers have leaned heavily on online and convenience formats.
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The expansion does not stop at full-size stores. Waitrose also has four smaller sites planned for 2025, including a supermarket in Oakham, Rutland — one of England's smallest county towns — alongside three convenience stores in Bedminster in Bristol, Chalk Farm in London, and Springstead Village in Cambridge. The mix of formats suggests a deliberate strategy to target both suburban shoppers and urban commuter catchments.
The investments represent a significant shift in posture for the John Lewis Partnership-owned chain, which had largely held back on new openings while competitors expanded aggressively. Whether the renewed push will help Waitrose recapture market share from rivals in an increasingly competitive UK grocery sector remains to be seen.
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