Waitrose will unveil a new store concept at its revamped Finchley Road branch next week.
The upmarket grocer said the store, housed in the former John Barnes department store, will act as a testbed for new concepts. It houses a number of new and refreshed features including a fully updated refrigeration system, the first fully chilled beer, wine and spirits department, and a new look and feel bakery.
It will also have a dedicated made-in-branch baguette station, a hot chicken and salad counter, a dedicated parmesan bay and a hot wok counter that will serve ready-to-go meals to customers.
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The store revamp forms part of a £1bn investment from Waitrose owner John Lewis Partnership, which is set to refurbish 80 of its stores over the next three years and also open its first new supermarkets in almost 10 years.
To celebrate the opening, Waitrose has several in-store brand activations.
Doughnut brand Crosstown will give out samples of Waitrose exclusive flavours including Matcha and White Chocolate filled doughnuts and Dark Chocolate Truffle filled doughnuts, while Daily Dose, Dash Water and Cadbury’s will also hand out complimentary products when the store opens on 21 August.
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Reminds me of Woolworths who seemed to spend more time on new concepts than they did running the business.