Waitrose today opened its first store in six years in Hampton Hill, London, and announced a further push into the convenience market by building on partnerships with Welcome Break and Shell.

Welcome Break

We’re targeting more new locations under our franchise with Welcome Break. New stores are opening on the A14 in Spaldwick, Cambridgeshire this month and on the M1 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as part of a brand new Welcome Break motorway services in January. A third location will open in 2025 with more planned if successful.

We have worked in partnership with Welcome Break since 2009 and at present trade Little Waitrose from 27 of its motorway service areas. The new stores will be the first we’ve opened with them for eleven years.

Shell

Additionally, Waitrose has now reached more than 100 Shell forecourt shops it supplies throughout the UK, with plans to add to further new locations in 2025.

Waitrose Hampton Hill

The two extended partnerships come as we open our first new Waitrose shop in six years with a new convenience shop in Hampton Hill in south west London. It will become the 47th Waitrose-operated convenience shop.

Whilst focus will initially be on opening smaller, more typical convenience stores of 3,000 sq ft, like Hampton Hill, we’re also looking at opportunities for larger convenience stores around double that size too.

The Hampton Hill store also signals the role our partnerships with Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat will continue to play in reaching a wider audience as it becomes the first Waitrose convenience shop to feature a hatch to allow delivery riders to make collections more easily.

The hatches are being trialled with a view to them becoming a key feature of Waitrose shops with average weekly on-demand grocery sales currently up by 115% compared to this time last year.

“The long associated stereotypes of food at forecourts and service stations are becoming a thing of the past – expectation has moved on and customers are rightfully demanding more. They want great tasting, quality food no matter where they are. Through new store openings and strategic partnerships we will continue to evolve our shops to get better and better, whilst reaching new locations that help bring Waitrose great quality, service and value closer to more customers.”

James Bailey, Executive Director for Waitrose

“We’re delighted to be opening Little Waitrose at our Spaldwick services on the A14. This will be our first Little Waitrose in a forecourt environment and a fantastic addition to the local area. Customers will now be able to stop off on their journey and select from a great range of quality Waitrose products. Our partnership with Waitrose has been incredibly prosperous and we look forward to opening more Little Waitrose stores in the coming years across the Welcome Break network.”

Adrian Grimes, Commercial Director for Welcome Break

About Waitrose

Run by over 45,000 passionate Partners, Waitrose has been serving customers for 120 years and offers extraordinary products in more than 300 shops and on Waitrose.com. We are committed to selling products which have been responsibly sourced, grown using the very best sustainable farming methods, some of which are grown or trialled on our very own farm, the Leckford Estate. In 2024, Waitrose was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment to be Grocers and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.

About Welcome Break

Welcome Break is one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, running 59 service areas and 31 hotels up and down the country. With 24-hour fuel courts, EV charging, and world-class food and retail brands including Waitrose, Starbucks, KFC, and Burger King, we welcome over 85 million customers every year.