WOT, no Waitrose?

Tesco Express BHS

The consultations in attended spoke of a decent size (for the site) of a Waitrose supermarket. Not that I'm a Waitrose fan, but it would make a nice change from shops Tesco (and Sainsburys) dot around the place.

Why are tesco and sainsburys appearing on every street in the borough?
Their express/metro stores are horrendous with little or no choice
Please, please can we have another brand come onto the scene

I heard that Lidl/Aldi are moving into the "express" store market - I really hope this isn't true as these small stores are fundamentally the same very limited range of products irrespective of the chain... Would rather have a smaller number and more choice from different brands of store.... So I join the ranks of residents wanting a Waitrose simply to widen the variety...

Couldnt agree more Sophie.
But I wouldn't say no to Aldi if Waitrose can't get a local gig.

I'm really puzzled ! Why why why has Waitrose so far shunned se1 when it has plenty of ready and willing potential customers, I just don't understand it from a business perspective. Can anyone from Waitrose enlighten us ?

vicd I've been wondering this for a while, I would have thought they would be itching for a piece of SE1 and they are cheekily close over London Bridge, strange.

Right now I have to take the bus to Deptford creek for my Waitrose fix. Sigh. It would be good to know why SE1 is no go.

vicd wrote:

I'm really puzzled ! Why why why has Waitrose so far shunned se1 when it has plenty of ready and willing potential customers, I just don't understand it from a business perspective. Can anyone from Waitrose enlighten us ?

I think the business perspective is this: their rather large St Katherine's Dock store is only minutes away from SE1. I live on Tower Bridge Road and it is a 15 min walk to Waitrose. What's more: you can do a big shop and then ask customer service to deliver it to your house on the same day.

I really think that the location of that store plays a role in their considerations on whether or not to open in SE1.

maurits - they deliver free to your address in SE1? That would be bliss and save me carrying a hundred bags on the 100 bus!

re: supermarkets, I have been threatening to create a logo map of supermarkets to highlight the ridiculous number of tesco and sainsburys (and M&S too really). I might make it my Xmas project.

maurits wrote:

vicd wrote:

I'm really puzzled ! Why why why has Waitrose so far shunned se1 when it has plenty of ready and willing potential customers, I just don't understand it from a business perspective. Can anyone from Waitrose enlighten us ?

I think the business perspective is this: their rather large St Katherine's Dock store is only minutes away from SE1. I live on Tower Bridge Road and it is a 15 min walk to Waitrose. What's more: you can do a big shop and then ask customer service to deliver it to your house on the same day.

I really think that the location of that store plays a role in their considerations on whether or not to open in SE1.

I agree. I live further west than you but the KD Waitrose is easier for me to get to e.g. than OKR or Canada Water Tesco, adn if I want to go to a nig Sainsbury's I go to the Angel.