Robert Waite has a big anniversary coming up. Next year will be his 30th working for Waitrose, with the past 18 months spent leading one of the retailer’s more recent openings, its purpose-built store in Swindon.
Fresh from taking the crown in our Swindon mystery shop, the aptly named Waite talked about preparing for a massive ramp-up in footfall, the challenge of running a store during a heat wave and whether customers have been acting as expected during the World Cup.
What makes this store unique? The store was purpose built nearly 13 years ago, as part of a huge development just outside Swindon called Wichelstowe. It’s a modern build, in a really striking landscaped building. We’ve traditionally served a lot of residential families, but we’re increasingly becoming a destination shop, as there’s a huge amount of development work still ongoing, adding new leisure facilities, houses and a GP surgery. Our walk-in trade is increasingly massive, as lots of the workers come in for their lunch. That’s particularly the case when the weather’s good.
Are you prepared for the increase in trade as the development grows? The store was intentionally built to be oversized when it opens so it can cater to the end state of the development. We’ve got wider aisles, an oversized assortment and a much larger car park than we currently need, so we’ll be able to go up another gear when needed. On demand has been our biggest area of growth – it’s increasing by roughly 40% year on year. Even more so during extreme weather, when it’s raining, or during the heatwave. It’s increasingly a younger type of shopper who wouldn’t traditionally shop in Waitrose.
How is the store coping with the heatwave? We’ve not had a single refrigeration issue so far. Trade during the hot weather has been really busy across all channels. There’s a strong link to the World Cup and Father’s Day over the weekend. We’re definitely seeing spikes around the England games. Buying habits are what you’d expect, so BWS, BBQ and food to go. My sense is that they’re making in-day decisions - shoppers are looking in their cupboards and deciding they fancy something different from Waitrose.
What have you been doing to help shoppers and partners cope with the heat? The shop itself is a lovely, bright, cool environment. It’s a good place to linger in hot weather, and I’ve noticed that shoppers are choosing to stay in the shop longer. Obviously, we’re very happy to accommodate them in any way. We’ve switched the menu in our staff canteen away from hot food to a selection of picky bits. During the peak heatwave days we’re also giving free ice lollies to partners.
Has World Cup trade been as expected given the late kick-off times? We’ve got a really creative front of store displaying bulk beers in the shape of a goal - that’s been really popular. What’s noticeable is how much on demand kicks in around the England games. Families are definitely coming together to enjoy our food and drink. Barbecue sales were up 40% last week, rosé was up 20%. pizza, ice cream and frozen desserts have also been popular.
Tell us about some of the community work you do. The store is right next to the Wilts & Berks Canal, and we’ve developed a very strong relationship with the Canal River Trust. We fundraise and promote the work they do in store, and we also occasionally hand out free tickets to customers to ride on the Trust’s boat. In the next year or so the canal will be linked to the wider UK canal network, which will be a big moment.
What’s your biggest challenge as a store looking forward? I prefer to view things as opportunities, not challenges. Our biggest opportunity, as a business, and as a store, is being able to demonstrate to more customers that Waitrose is the place they can and should shop. The brand enables us to do that already through My Waitrose Little Treats, the pricing investment, our Essential Waitrose range and the work we’re doing with John Lewis. Now we need to wrap that together and be confident in saying that ‘Waitrose is for everyone, everyday’.
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