Waitrose Opens First New Supermarket in Eight Years

Waitrose has opened its first new supermarket in eight years, launching a store in Cricklewood, north London, as part of a £1bn investment plan. The grocer confirmed that a second new store, in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, will follow next month.

The Cricklewood opening marks the end of an eight-year gap since the upmarket grocer last launched a new supermarket, a period in which the business focused on refurbishing existing sites rather than expanding its estate. The £1bn investment plan underpins the renewed expansion, with the two new stores representing the first tangible output of that programme.

The north London site gives Waitrose a fresh presence in a densely populated part of the capital, while the planned Hale Barns store extends the push into Greater Manchester, a market where the grocer already operates. The sequencing of the two openings — Cricklewood now, Hale Barns next month — indicates a phased rollout rather than a single flagship launch.

For investors, the openings are an early test of whether the £1bn programme can translate into sales growth at a time when the grocery sector remains competitive. New store openings carry upfront costs for fit-out and staffing, so the pace of the rollout and the performance of the first sites will be watched as a signal of how aggressively Waitrose intends to pursue physical expansion under the plan. The company has not disclosed the size or expected sales contribution of either store.