Waitrose has announced plans to significantly expand its convenience store business over the next 18 months as it looks to go head-to-head with rivals Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Sainsburys .
The upmarket grocer said it aims to open 20 new convenience shops under its recently launched sub-brand, Little Waitrose, within greater London by the end of 2012.
The expansion will provide an additional 100,000sq ft of selling space and is expected to create up to 1,000 new jobs .
It follows a successful trial of the Little Waitrose brand at a store in South Kensington, west London, which opened in January.
Mark Price, Waitrose managing director, said: “London is an important part of our heritage, so this is another exciting milestone for our business.”
“It demonstrates our ambition to continue increasing our presence and improving our accessibility to those who wish to shop with us.”
So far this year, Waitrose has opened one supermarket and five convenience stores in London.
The next Little Waitrose-branded store is set to open on Tottenham Court Road in central London this week.
