Waitrose will evolve its estate expansion to focus on agility and customer choice, creating a more localised, multi-format store strategy that will match size, layout and ranging to regional demand.

The move will be supported by a £1 billion investment plan spanning its shops, online offer and partnerships across on-demand grocery and travel retail, designed to give Waitrose customers more flexibility.

This will include its ‘neighbourhood’ concept, which aims to bridge the gap between its convenience stores and full-line supermarkets, with its latest mid-sized neighbourhood store recently opening in Chelmer Village Retail Park, Essex.

Waitrose will also scale its presence across major transport hubs, with four new RELAY shops opening this year at Heathrow Terminal 2, alongside existing partnerships with 35 Welcome Break sites and 107 Shell forecourts.

“Today’s consumers no longer rely on a single weekly trip to the supermarket; grocery shopping is an omnichannel experience,” said Tina Mitchell, Waitrose’s Retail Director, adding that the grocer’s expansion strategy would be “shaped by adapting to how our customers live and shop.”

“Backed by our multi-year £1 billion investment plan, our ambition is to be wherever our customers want us,” she continued. “We are looking for high-footfall, ‘right size, right location’ sites nationwide to make it easier than ever for people to experience our uncompromising standards, quality and expert Partner service.”