Waitrose has officially opened a new 15,000 sq ft supermarket on The Square in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester.

This is part of the retailer’s wider £1bn national investment plan, which aims to improve operations across its estate and expand its brick-and-mortar footprint.

The store has over 15,000 products stocked and includes a dedicated meat, fish and sushi counters, dry-aged beef cabinet and a fresh fruit and vegetable section.

This new store brought 73 recruits to the John Lewis Partnership team and has also pledged donate £12,000 annually to local organisations and groups through its community matters initiative.

There is also a range of delivery options including Click & Collect services for John Lewis, Waitrose Entertaining and Waitrose Cellar as well as rapid delivery through Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

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Members of the retailer’s loyalty programme can receive a range of benefits including personalised offers, free hot drinks and products and 20 per cent off selected fish counters.

The store features electronic shelf labels, and the launch of an AI application for staff members which offer advice of product availability, wine pairings and recipe recommendations.

Freddie Sackey-Addo, Waitrose regional manager, said: “This destination store has been designed around a genuine passion for food – from our partners working on the counters and bakery to the curated wine selection and fresh fruit, vegetables and more.

“We hope our customers treat this as their neighbourhood shop, whether they’re grabbing a quick lunch, looking for advice on what to have for dinner, or discovering something new during their regular weekly shop. Hale Barns is a great location and we can’t wait to meet all our new customers.”