Waitrose has reopened its Jesmond supermarket following a multi-million-pound refurbishment as part of the retailer’s wider £1bn investment programme.

The Newcastle store welcomed customers back at 8am on Wednesday 12 August after closing for five weeks while the transformation was carried out.

The refurbishment coincides with the branch’s 15th anniversary and includes a new-look bakery, upgraded beer, wine and spirits department and improvements to its fruit and vegetable offer.

Waitrose has also redesigned the store layout to make it easier for shoppers to navigate the branch, whether carrying out a full shop or picking up fresh produce and meal solutions.

New refrigeration has been installed to improve energy efficiency, while electronic shelf labels have been introduced to reduce the time Partners spend maintaining printed pricing labels and allow them to focus more on customer service.

Customers can also collect John Lewis, Waitrose Entertaining and Waitrose Cellar orders from the Jesmond store, while grocery home delivery is available through Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

Branch manager Anji Hewat, who leads a team of 50 Partners, said: “As we celebrate 15 years in Jesmond this year, this multi-million pound investment is a huge thank you to our local community for their continued loyalty.

“The whole team is excited to welcome back our customers and show everyone around their new and improved store.”

The first customers through the doors following the reopening will also receive a complimentary Waitrose tote bag.

Waitrose steps up store investment

The refurbishment forms part of Waitrose’s £1bn multi-year investment programme covering new stores and upgrades to its existing estate.

The supermarket recently opened a new shop in Chelmer Village, Essex, and plans to launch three further stores this year.

These include full-line supermarkets in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, and Cricklewood, north-west London, alongside a convenience store in Ascot, Berkshire.

Waitrose is also refurbishing 28 shops during the year and is set to enter airport travel retail for the first time through four RELAY stores at Heathrow Terminal 2.

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