Waitrose

What Waitrose does

Waitrose is a British premium supermarket chain and the food retail division of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned retailer. Founded in 1864 and headquartered in London and Bracknell, Waitrose operates 350+ stores across the United Kingdom with a workforce of tens of thousands (within a John Lewis Partnership total of 65,700 employees as of recent disclosure). The business serves mass consumer grocery demand through a portfolio of own-label tiers — premium (No.1), value (Essential), organic (Duchy Organic), and specialist (Cooks Ingredients) — alongside curated third-party brands, with vertical integration into farming via the wholly-owned Leckford Estate producing exclusive unhomogenised organic milk, wheat, and oilseed rape. Waitrose holds a Royal Warrant as Grocer and Wine & Spirit Merchants to His Majesty The King and positions itself as 'the home of food lovers' targeting quality-focused, ethically-minded, and suburban shoppers.

The technology stack underpinning Waitrose's operations combines in-store infrastructure (SOLUM electronic shelf labels across 200+ stores, Glory cash recycling systems integrated with the Flooid commerce platform, heat-resistant refrigeration for climate resilience) with logistics optimisation (Satalia AI route optimization across 170 stores, 1,400 vans, and 2 fulfilment centres processing 160,000 weekly deliveries). The omnichannel proposition spans physical retail, own-platform online grocery delivery (from £2 with £40 minimum), subscription Delivery Pass, free Click & Collect, rapid 20-minute delivery through partnerships with Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat (35 stores with extended hours), and a new airport retail channel at Heathrow Terminal 2 via Lagardère Travel Retail.

Revenue is generated primarily through transactional grocery sales across physical and digital channels, supplemented by subscription revenue (Delivery Pass), loyalty engagement (My Waitrose with Vitality health cashback integration), wine and spirits via Waitrose Cellar, restaurant meal delivery through the acquired Dishpatch platform, and emerging brand incubation through the BrandsNew programme. For the year to January 2026, Waitrose reported revenue of £8.5 billion, up 7% year-on-year with record on-shelf availability. The business is currently mid-turnaround: £1bn+ is committed to multi-year investment, but the parent John Lewis Partnership has simultaneously cut approximately 3,300 jobs (including 1,800 Waitrose full-time roles), abandoned its build-to-rent venture, and is undergoing leadership transition with Will Kernan succeeding Peter Ruis as Managing Director in September 2026.

Name

Waitrose

Legal name

Waitrose Limited

Website

https://waitrose.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Waitrose is a UK premium supermarket chain and food retail division of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, operating 350+ stores alongside online delivery, rapid delivery via Deliveroo/Uber Eats/Just Eat, Click & Collect, and airport retail at Heathrow T2. It serves quality-focused, value-conscious, and ethically-minded UK grocery shoppers with a £8.5bn annual revenue base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supermarket Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Grocery & Pantry Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Prepared Meals Retail (CRAHAJAE), Alcohol & Beverage Delivery (TLAAAHAG)

Keywords

• Premium supermarket groceries
• Online grocery delivery
• Own-label food retail
• Loyalty programme retail
• Rapid grocery delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Bracknell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Physical Retail Store Sales: Revenue from sales in Waitrose's network of 350+ supermarkets and convenience stores across the UK. Core business generating majority of company revenue.
2. Online Grocery Delivery: Home delivery service with scheduled slots from £2, plus rapid delivery via third-party platforms. Minimum order £40 for standard delivery.
3. Delivery Pass Subscription: Delivery Pass subscription offering savings on delivery charges, advertised as saving up to £123 annually.
4. My Waitrose Loyalty: Loyalty programme offering exclusive discounts, free coffee, free magazine, 20% Fish Friday discounts, competitions, and Vitality cashback partnerships.
5. Airport Retail Wholesale: Wholesale supply arrangement with Lagardère Travel Retail for airport stores at Heathrow Terminal 2, representing first airport retail presence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Waitrose operates a chain of premium UK supermarkets selling groceries, fresh produce, wines, and household goods through 350+ physical stores as well as online grocery delivery, Click & Collect, and rapid 20-minute delivery via Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. The company runs tiered own-label brands (No.1 premium, Essential value, Duchy Organic), a loyalty club (My Waitrose), a wine merchant (Waitrose Cellar), and a Delivery Pass subscription. Operations sit within John Lewis Partnership and are supported by its own Leckford Estate farm.

Product overview

Waitrose operates as a premium UK supermarket chain offering a multi-channel retail platform combining physical stores with online grocery delivery, Click & Collect, and rapid delivery services. The product portfolio centres on the core grocery offering complemented by own-label brands spanning premium (No.1), organic (Duchy Organic), value (Essential), and specialist (Cooks Ingredients) tiers, alongside a curated BrandsNew platform for emerging challenger brands. Additional revenue streams include the Waitrose Cellar for wine and spirits, subscription Delivery Pass, loyalty programme My Waitrose, in-store ScanPayGo technology, and restaurant meal delivery via Dishpatch. The business operates within the John Lewis Partnership structure and integrates with third-party delivery platforms (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat), retail technology providers (SOLUM for electronic shelf labels), and AI solutions (Satalia for route optimisation) to power its omnichannel retail operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• No.1 Waitrose & Partners: Premium own-label brand offering high-quality food and drink products
• Essential Waitrose & Partners
• Duchy Organic Waitrose & Partners
• Cooks Ingredients
• Leckford Estate
• My Waitrose

Products and services

• Waitrose Groceries Online Full online grocery shopping service with home delivery and Click & Collect options covering fresh produce, bakery, frozen foods, household items, and multiple own-label and branded ranges for UK consumers.
• Rapid Grocery Delivery On-demand grocery delivery via Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat offering ~20-minute delivery for groceries, ready meals, and household essentials from selected stores.
• Click & Collect Free in-store collection service for online grocery orders and John Lewis purchases, available at Waitrose and partner locations.
• My Waitrose Loyalty Free loyalty programme offering members daily free hot drinks, exclusive competitions, 20% Fish Friday discounts, Little Treats rewards, Vitality cashback on healthy foods, and free magazine access.
• Waitrose Cellar Specialist online wine, beer, and spirits retailer offering over 1,200 products including exclusive wines, Champagne, and craft beers with dedicated sommelier expertise.
• Waitrose Delivery Pass Annual subscription pass offering unlimited grocery deliveries for a fixed fee, advertised as saving customers up to £123 per year versus standard delivery charges.
• ScanPayGo Mobile in-store scanning technology that lets customers scan and pack items as they shop for faster checkout at Waitrose supermarkets.
• Dishpatch Chef-created set menus and restaurant-quality meal delivery service offering restaurant dishes from partner chefs delivered to UK customers.
• No.1 Waitrose & Partners Premium own-label range offering Waitrose's highest-quality tier of fine foods, wines, and prepared dishes.
• Essential Waitrose & Partners Value-tier own-label range offering everyday essential grocery items at competitive prices including free-range eggs, dairy, and pantry staples.
• Duchy Organic Waitrose & Partners Soil Association-certified organic own-label range offering organic produce, dairy, and pantry items from responsibly sourced origins.
• Cooks Ingredients Specialist ingredient range providing hard-to-find and international cooking ingredients for culinary enthusiasts.
• Waitrose Leckford Estate Own-farm product line from Waitrose's Leckford Estate in Hampshire including unhomogenised organic milk, wheat, and oilseed rape, with 74% production growth in unhomogenised milk since 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7% revenue growth to £8.5bn with record on-shelf availability
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered growth, core and minor.

• Gordon Ramsay (Krude Olive Oil)growthStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2026Launch of Gordon Ramsay's Krude olive oil in around 300 Waitrose stores - brand's first grocery listing. Emphasises sustainability credentials with lightweight packaging and regenerative farming partnerships.
• Citizens of Soil / OttolenghigrowthStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2026Premium extra virgin olive oil (£24/500ml) launched exclusively at Waitrose. Sourced from Tuscany and Umbria in Italy. Aligns with both brands' focus on flavour and sustainable agriculture.
• Alliance Food Sourcing / FelixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2026Joint food poverty initiative with Sainsbury's, Tesco, M&S, and Morrisons. Aims to provide 30 million meals annually by 2028 through surplus food redistribution to charities. Waitrose contributes to this cross-retailer coalition.
• NestléminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2026Nestlé's functional cereals (Happy Heart, Active) under Shredded Wheat brand to be stocked at Waitrose following initial Morrisons exclusive.
• Signature Brew / Wildfarmed / Groove ArmadagrowthStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026'Do It Right' regeneratively grown Czech-style pale lager using Wildfarmed barley (sourced from Andy Cato's grower network) exclusive to Waitrose. Music-inspired collaboration.
• Princes / Felix / Alliance Food SourcinggrowthStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Partnership producing one million tins of Branston Baked Beans for food-insecure households via Felix's 8,000 community organisations. Initiative expected to divert 1.9 million meals by year-end.
• John LewiscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2026Click & Collect service accepts both Waitrose and John Lewis orders. New Chelmer Village store includes dedicated John Lewis Click & Collect desk.
• dunnhumbycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026Pilot participation in dunnhumby Network Alliance alongside Tesco, B&Q, and John Lewis. Provides unified retail media platform enabling brands to activate campaigns across multiple retailers through shared standards.
• Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just EatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2026Rapid grocery delivery partnerships enabling 20-minute delivery in select locations. 35 stores with extended hours until midnight, some 24/7. Covers fresh ingredients, ready meals, snacks, household essentials.
• Lagardère Travel RetailgrowthChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2026Wholesale partnership for airport retail debut at Heathrow Terminal 2. Four stores (3 airside, 1 landside) offering Waitrose food-to-go including No.1 range. First airport retail presence for Waitrose.
• Northern Pasta Co.growthStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026First major supermarket listing for regeneratively farmed British spelt pasta brand. Cumbria-based company sources grain from UK regenerative farmers, uses bronze extrusion and solar-powered facility.
• SataliacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2026AI-powered route optimization platform deployed across 170 stores, 2 fulfilment centres, and 1,400 vans processing 160,000 weekly deliveries. Delivered 8% reduction in delivery mileage and 12% increase in drops per route, supporting sustainability and capacity goals.
• FlooidcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2026Five-year renewal of 20-year partnership. Glory Global Solutions installing 285 CI-100X cash recycling devices integrated with Flooid1 commerce platform across UK store network.
• SOLUMcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Waitrose partnered with SOLUM for electronic shelf label deployment across its store estate. Over 200 stores equipped since December 2025 with Newton Pro ESLs covering fresh, ambient, and specialist categories. Enables real-time pricing updates and operational efficiency improvements.
• VitalityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCashback partnership offering My Waitrose members up to 25% cashback on Good Health food purchases through Vitality health insurance programme.
• Ole & Steen / GAIL'SminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBakery partnerships at refurbished Haslemere store. Danish bakery Ole & Steen and artisan baker GAIL'S featured in destination bakery section.
• Soul FruitgrowthChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFreeze-dried fruit crisps (Crunchy Mango, Crunchy Dragon Fruit) launched in 260 Waitrose stores via BrandsNew programme - first bricks & mortar grocery listing.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Tesco: Largest UK supermarket chain with broad grocery, online delivery and Clubcard loyalty. Direct competitor to Waitrose across physical stores, online grocery and rapid delivery; participates in the same dunnhumby Network Alliance pilot.
• Sainsbury's: Second-largest UK supermarket chain with Nectar loyalty and strong online grocery. Competes directly with Waitrose in premium and mid-tier grocery, and partners in the same Alliance Food Sourcing food poverty initiative.
• Morrisons: UK supermarket chain with strong fresh and own-brand offering including Market Street counters. Competes with Waitrose on quality/freshness and is part of the same Alliance Food Sourcing food poverty coalition.
• Marks & Spencer (M&S Food): Premium UK retailer with a sizeable food division. Direct competitor to Waitrose in premium and 'food lovers' positioning; one of only two UK supermarkets (with Waitrose) to fully sign the Better Chicken Commitment.
• ASDA: UK value-led supermarket chain. Waitrose is taking over ASDA's Hale Barns site for a new neighbourhood store, illustrating direct competitive overlap and site-repurposing dynamics in the UK grocery market.
• Aldi UK: UK discount supermarket growing rapidly on price. Aldi's £158.05 basket vs Waitrose's £226.95 illustrates the structural price gap driving customer switching risk for Waitrose in the value-conscious UK consumer segment.
• Lidl UK: UK discount supermarket with aggressive expansion plans. Competes with Waitrose for weekly grocery spend and increasingly on quality perception, putting sustained pressure on Waitrose's mid-market positioning.
• Co-op Food: UK convenience-led grocery retailer with strong neighbourhood footprint. Overlaps with Waitrose's smaller-format neighbourhood stores and rapid-delivery convenience use case across UK residential areas.
• Ocado: UK online grocery specialist with technology-led fulfilment. Competes most directly with Waitrose's online grocery delivery and rapid-delivery proposition, particularly for premium customers valuing convenience and slot reliability.
• Iceland: UK frozen-food specialist supermarket chain. Overlaps with Waitrose in frozen prepared meals and own-label essentials, and competes for the same value-conscious and convenience-focused UK grocery shopper.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waitrose
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/waitroseandpartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/waitrose
• Instagraminstagram.com/waitrose
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/waitroseandpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waitroseandpartners

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waitrose