Newmarket 162 - closed branch

Newmarket exterior 1977
John Lewis Partnership archive collection
Newmarket interior and Partners 1977
John Lewis Partnership archive collection
Stocktaking at Newmarket 1977
The Gazette
Newmarket dining room 1977
The Gazette
Waitrose Newmarket refurbishment 1984
John Lewis Partnership archive collection
Waitrose Newmarket refurbishment 1984
John Lewis Partnership archive collection
Waitrose Newmarket opening 1984 - BM Jim Woolf
Gazette image library
Newmarket Partners 1984 - Bob Brandon, Jeanette Ventham, Lynne Hayward, Pauline Wood
Gazette image library
Newmarket Partners 1984 - Ruth Vail, Trudie Langham, Mel Whitmore, Marilyn Hindle and Sara Goldsborough.
Gazette image library

Waitrose Newmarket 162 opened on Tuesday 11th October 1977. The branch manager was Mr O S Doogue, previously manager at Kidderminster, and was the 62nd Waitrose branch to open.

As the nearest branch was over 50 miles away, the Partnership did more pre-opening in the local press than was normally the case. Robert Sayle (12 miles away) did their bit as well, by displaying photographs in their windows and sending out other information with their customer accounts.

“About 500 people applied to work here, but less than one in six were selected” says Mr Doogue. Newmarket is staffed by 86 Partners – 58 of them full time, 18 part-time and 10 working on Saturdays only. “Eight of my 10 section managers transferred here from other branches, which is a good proportion”.

Among internal features in the new branch, part of which was once a stable, were tinted Perspex panels, used to create a particularly effective wine and spirits section. A new innovation at Newmarket are the cigarette dispensers attached to the two checkouts within the self-selection wine department. Wine manager Mr P Scarland proudly said “although the town has a number of good wines and spirits merchants, our selection is as good as theirs, and our beer is a lot cheaper”.

The branch was refurbished in 1984 but after 27 years of trading, in 2004, branch 162 closed its doors and re-emeged as branch 674, approximately 400 yards away. Although in terms of facilities go “they are miles apart” – Jim Woolf, Branch Manager. “Our old branch was much loved, but was far too small and fraying around the edges. I used to envy the new branches around me such as Trumpington. Now the boot is on the other foot and I know they are all going to be really jealous of this splendid building and all the space we now have.”

The branch’s bright, compact, corner Cafe owed much to designs developed during the recently completed Toronto project. Marjorie Reeve, Assistant Section Manager, Food Service, who joined the branch earlier in the year, believed the Cafe would be a great draw. “Our bacon butties have already proved really popular.”

More than 100 new Partners were taken on in the new shop, but the old and new teams merged very quickly, into a ‘team’ division. The old team were allowed to shed a few tears when the doors closed on their branch for the last time, with a party in the evening.

For supermarket assistants Bob Brandon, Jan Ventham, Lynne Hayward and Pauline Wood, opening a Waitrose branch was a bit of a repeat performance – they had done it all before. “I was one of the first Partners to start work in the original branch about five weeks before it opened” said Bob. “Although moving is a big upheaval it will be worth it – we will have a shop fit for the 21st century.”

Although the new branch was very different from the old, both inside and out, what hadn’t changed was the warm and welcoming atmosphere and the high level of service. “I was worried that all my ‘friends’ at the checkouts and behind the counters would have changed”, said regular customer Thelma Coombes. “But it  is the same smiling faces – just a much better shop with a far greater range of products.”

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