Newton Mearns, just outside Glasgow and one of the country’s wealthiest suburbs, was described yesterday by Waitrose as “the perfect fit for the Waitrose brand”.
The northwards march of the Berkshire-based John Lewis Partnership’s food shop arm will not stop here: the company is actively looking for new Scottish sites. “We would not rule out a third Glasgow store in the near future, or further Scottish stores in the future,” said spokesman James Armstrong.
On top of that, it plans to open 300 convenience stores over the next decade, some of which will be in Scotland, and a string of small stores in motorway service stations. This makes Waitrose the UK’s fastest growing grocer and pitches it directly against arch rival M&S.
According to leading retail analyst TNS Worldpanel, both Waitrose and M&S Simply Food are classed as “premium” retailers – meaning they offer more expensive top quality products alongside more affordable ranges – while the big four of Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons are “mainstream”.
Latest research points to an 11% growth in trade for Waitrose in the last year, while M&S growth is flat. Growth has been around 6% in the mainstream sector, while the discounters such as Lidl, Aldi and Netto are down to 6% from 20% a year ago.
It seems Waitrose will find rich pickings in Glasgow and beyond. Senior retail analyst Fraser McKevitt of TNS believes the premium market in Scotland is relatively untapped. Waitrose has only a 1% share in Scotland compared with M&S’s 4.2%.
“Within Scotland there is a large affluent demographic looking for quality fresh food and provenance,” said Mr McKevitt. “The upwards trend in the premium market is helping Waitrose.”
So environmentally-aware, health-conscious shoppers willing to pay for it can expect specially-sourced delights such as Columbian Blacktail organic eggs from six Scottish farmers, halibut from Gigha, seasonal vegetables from dedicated growers in Perthshire and Fife and ice-cream from top creameries among Waitrose’s Scottish lines.
Waitrose’s local food buyer is currently on a mission to source more suppliers within a 30-mile radius of Byres Road and Newton Mearns and to fulfil its stated definition of “local”, and is working with Scotland Food and Drink to do so.
SFD chief executive Paul McLaughlin said: “I would expect some ‘hidden gems’ such as local artisan cheeses and dairy products, west coast langoustines and mussels, red meat from Ayrshire and local bakery products to be coming into Waitrose stores. For small suppliers, Waitrose would be a good retailer.
“Waitrose’s relatively small size is good for small artisan suppliers who may not have entered the retail market before because they don’t have the volume,” said Mr McLaughlin.
“That’s what makes Waitrose unique in Scotland. Its ambitious plan to grow in Scotland using good quality local products is to be welcomed.”
At M&S, the search for Scottish producers is also ongoing. Customers will continue to find specially grown outdoor-bred pork from the north-east, butter from Lockerbie, Scottish berries, specially grown Scottish salmon and mackerel from a fourth-generation Scottish fisherman among the 2500 regional products on offer.
The trend for provenance, where customers can read where their food is coming from, is global. Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental damage caused by freighting food around the world and as a result, Scottish produce sold in the UK is also on an upward trend.
Mr McLaughlin added: “There are over 2000 food and drink businesses in Scotland, so there is plenty to go round.”
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