the upmarket food group, will this week reach the milestone of opening its 300th branch in the UK.The supermarket’s latest shop opens in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute, 109 years after Waite, Rose and Taylor opened the chain’s very first grocery shop in Acton, London, in 1904.
The 25,000sq ft Helensburgh shop, which opens today, Thursday 24 October employing 200 people, is the furthest yet from the site of the first Waitrose - a 430 mile drive from Acton.
“While we’ve grown rapidly in scale since the very first Waitrose more than a century ago, it’s remarkable how the original philosophy of our founders - based on the honesty and integrity of the business - is still at the heart of everything we do," said Mark Price, managing director of the company.
"Although our new shop in Helensburgh demonstrates how the scale and ambition of our business has transformed over the decades, the pride in our food and in the distinctive customer service we offer, still has its roots in that very first modest business in Acton," he said.
