Waitrose Grow and Sell

Waitrose has relaunched its ‘Grow and Sell’ scheme for the fourth year running, giving gardening kits to schools so pupils can grow and then sell produce outside their local Waitrose store.

Some 2,900 ‘Grow and Sell’ kits have been sent to branches for staff to distribute to schools. Each contains seeds for species such as basil, beetroot, courgettes, red and green lettuces and snap peas.

The scheme encourages children to learn about where food comes from and develop entrepreneurial skills. It is aimed at seven to 11-year-olds and is open to community groups such as Scouts and Brownies this year as well.

The kits also include wild flower seeds for hedgerows to encourage pollinators such as bees and butterflies. A ‘Grow and Sell’ app is available with further information.

Meanwhile, Waitrose is launching its first customer magazine dedicated to gardening.

Waitrose Garden will be produced seasonally, priced at £1.20 but free initially to myWaitrose members. 

It will be available in 329 core branches, Little Waitrose shops and John Lewis Foodhalls, but not in Welcome Break, Little Waitrose at Shell and Channel Island shops.

The magazine will feature garden articles, shopping recommendations for waitrosegarden.com and columns by popular writers, with the first issue including Simon Calder, Julia Bradbury and Waitrose Good Food Guide editor Liz Carter. A 24-page pull-out edited by Alan Titchmarsh will give tips, advice and projects to try at home. 

Waitrose also produces Waitrose Weekend, a free newspaper with a weekly circulation of nearly 400,000, and its monthly Waitrose Food magazine.

Rupert Thomas, Waitrose marketing director, said: “We know that gardening is the second most popular pastime for our customers after cooking, so this represents a real opportunity for our brand.”