Waitrose will close three shops and sell another four, putting 677 jobs at risk, in a sign that even the nation’s favourite supermarket is not immune to the headwinds whipping Britain’s high streets.
The biggest store down for closure, planned for the autumn, is in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The other two are in Marlow, Buckinghamshire and at the British Airways headquarters near Heathrow.
Waitrose will sell its stores in Bromley in south-east London, Oadby in Leicestershire and Wollaton in Nottinghamshire to Lidl. The buyer of the fourth shop, in Sandhurst, Berkshire, has asked not to be named.
“The 677 partners working at these [seven] shops will now enter a period of consultation and, as part of this, Waitrose & Partners will explore opportunities within the partnership for those who wish to remain with the business,” the firm said.
Director of shop trade at Waitrose Mark Gifford said: “We haven’t taken this decision lightly but we have to do what’s right for the business as a whole.
“Waitrose & Partners is on track for profit growth this year but, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, we haven’t been able to find a way to make these shops profitable in the long term.”
The firm already sold five shops in March and closed five last year.
Earlier this year, Waitrose came top in the annual survey of supermarkets’ customers conducted by Which?, winning praise for the helpfulness of its staff, queueing times and the appearance of stores. But the German no-frills stores Lidl and Aldi scored more highly for value for money.
