Scottish retailer Margiotta has more than doubled the range of Waitrose products it stocks as part of its supply agreement with Waitrose.
The family-owned grocer – which has stores across Edinburgh and East Lothian – first began stocking a core 600 Waitrose own-label goods in November 2021, as part of a third-party sales agreement aimed at growing Waitrose’s presence in Scotland.
Margiotta’s spend with Waitrose had “doubled” since the partnership began, founder and MD Franco Margiotta told The Grocer, with the chain adding “more lines week by week”.
Under agreement, Waitrose supplies directly into Margiotta’s distribution centre, with Margiotta then delivering to its own stores.
After initially experiencing some “teething problems” with the logistics, the partnership was now “working well”, with Margiotta now stocking up to 2,000 Waitrose lines Margiotta said.
Oven-ready proteins, frozen ready meals and baked-at-home products were among some of the categories Margiotta had been growing. It was also stocking more of Waitrose’s premium No.1 own-label range, Margiotta said.
“We’re just going full ahead with it,” he said.
Waitrose – which currently has seven standalone stores in Scotland – works with a number of independent retailers as a way of growing its presence in regions where it has little or no footprint. It includes partnerships with the Alliance chain of c-stores in the Channel Islands, as well as the garden centre chain Dobbies in foodhalls across the UK.
Over the next year, Waitrose is also targeting the rapid expansion of its network of international export partners, as it looks for new sources of revenue outside its UK store footprint. The retailer is also understood to have held discussions with Amazon about becoming a third-party supplier, according to a report by The Telegraph in October 2023.
Store location had shielded Margiotta
While it had not been “all rosy” during the cost of living crisis, Margiotta was generally “performing well”, its founder said. He credited the more “affluent” location of its stores, which had largely helped to ”shield” it from some of the squeezed spend that other retailers had experienced during the past couple of years.
Alongside the ramp-up of its Waitrose agreement, Margiotta is also aiming to grow its network of local Scottish producers, farmers and breweries, Margiotta said.
Late last year, Margiotta added its 11th store, with a new opening in Edinburgh. It’s set to finally open a new food hall concept in the Shandon area of the city in the next six weeks, after the initial launch was delayed due to a setback with “fire regulations”.
“The thing is we’re enjoying the business, and it’s very well received,” Margiotta said. “It’s a family name above the door – we’re not looking for an exit. This will be passed down the generations.”
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