Dunstable: Opening

Delicatessen at Dunstable 1966
John Lewis Partnership archives
Salmon sampling at Dunstable 1966
John Lewis Partnership archives
Dunstable 1966
John Lewis Partnership archives

Waitrose Dunstable opened on 10th May 1966.

The first branch in a precinct and the seventeenth Partnership supermarket, Waitrose Dunstable was managed by Mr P D Willetts.

The new branch had ninety-five Partners, most joining locally but with a few transferring from other branches.

The delicatessen section proved popular.  Also doing well was the fruit and veg section. ‘Dunstable evidently has a liking for ugli fruit, capsicums, aubergines and avocado pears’.

The branch closed on 15th September 1984. Many of the c. 60 Partners  looked forward to positions at Waitrose Harpenden which was due to open at the beginning of October. “We’re trading with fully stocked shelves right until the last minute”, said deputy manager Mr David Godfrey.

Comments about this page

  • And now, a Facebook appreciation page for Dunstable, so you may be able to find colleagues, some of which have contact or still work at a Waitrose! Now that is very telling, how good an employer is JLP!
    Please join us, there will be another reunion next year! https://www.facebook.com/groups/663533709293304
    Jean Bruce xxx

    By Jean Bruce (01/01/2024)
  • Derrick Baughan
    can you recall the names of the warehouse guys ? Keith or Dave Goodman long blonde hair often wondered what happened to some of these people

    By Kathleen Sharkey (31/05/2023)
  • That brings back memories. Weekend job there in the early seventies. Worked in the white house above, the deli counter and checkouts. All to fund a motorbike and nights out at the Cali, Wheatsheaf and Queensway Civic Hall. I remember Mr Willets and Mr Humphries and a few other names like Penny French and Jo ???. Great people.

    By Derrick Baughan (22/04/2023)
  • I well remember working here, great memories. Married John Bullard, butchery dept. So many lovely people, Mr Willets and Mr Humphrey great bosses. How lovely it would be to see Waitrose back in Dunstable

    By Eileen Saunders - was Coates (05/12/2022)
  • How nice to see this sight so many memories. I remember Mr Willis and Mr humpreys.  Also Jean and lyn Bruce also Bryan dovey jo harvey to name a few. It was a lovely place to work great people. Shame it closed dunstable could do with it now 

    By Penny french (20/05/2017)
  • I was a weekend worker from the day it opened.  Had my picture taken with Bob Monkhouse which was printed in the Gazette.  I loved it there and progressed quickly to the tills from stacking shelves. Waitrose used to give us free sandwiches for lunch and enforced breaks on Saturdays because we were all so young. A lovely company to work for. Mr Willets was great. Met a friend there, Mary Bruce, we went about together for a few years. Memories!

    By Gail Valentine (20/12/2016)
  • Hello John Townsend 

    Wonder if you recall all the warehouse staff there was one guy in particular either Dave or Keith Goodman do you know what happened to him or did you work with him; would love to know.

     

    By KATHLEEN SHARLEY (17/11/2015)
  • Its  42 years since i left Waitrose in Dunstable and would love to here from anyone who remembers those days and some of the characters and fun we had. Gosh how much easier those checkouts would have been had we had todays technology –  if anyone recalls me, or any other staff would be interesting to know what happened to them.

    By KATHLEEN SHARLEY (13/11/2015)
  • I was a junior at the Waitrose in Dunstable from 1967 to 1971.

    The work was mainly in the warehouse, where we climbed the racking like monkeys to find the appropriate boxes to send to the shop floor. 

    Mr Willets was the manager and Mr Humphries the deputy. We worked Friday evenings and all day Saturday. There were some very special colleagues there amongst the full time staff and I have not kept in touch with anyone! Very sad.

    Sad also that the store closed down, was it because of the general degeneration of the once-proud Dunstable, I wonder?

    By John Townsend (10/11/2015)
  • Great to see pictures and comments about Dunstable. I started in 1966 just after the branch opened and worked on FRV and eventually became Section Manager. In those days the branch closed on Thursday afternoon which gave us time to prepare for the busy weekend.A lot of the male staff would play football or cricket In the lunch hour in the local church gardens before returning to restock the branch. I was there when the branch closed for the last time and was really sorry to see 115( as it was) close. I made many friends who I still see today. After nearly 40 years as a partner I’m now retired but Dunstable will never be forgotten. 

    By Bryan Dovey (16/06/2015)
  • I worked there in early 70’s and had great friends in the store. JLP great group to work with – remember hooking up there too with a guy in the warehouse – well no more of that for now but what happened to Dunstable shopping?

    By kathleen [sharkey] (01/01/2015)
  • Bring back waitrose.Dunstable needs it !

    By c.Ryan (16/03/2013)
  • My late mother-in-law Joan Bryce worked at Dunstable branch I think she retired around 1980 – what a lovely company to work for, when she was very ill a long time after she had retired a welfare officer from the John Lewis Partnership came to see her to offer any help she may need. I know she had thoroughly enjoyed working at Waitrose and very much appreciated the contact after she had retired.

    By Linda Bryce (27/12/2012)
  • Sweet post Jean, and you are right – great times at branch 115. Met some very lovely people there.

    By Paul L-S (11/12/2012)
  • And for those of you on Facebook, you should be able to follow this link below.We’ve had 105 ‘likes’ for the picture of Dunstable Waitrose and many comments.This site was given as further info…so here’s ours back for you! Love Jean x If the link doesn’t work then the page is ‘Don’t let Dunstable Die https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-Let-Dunstable-Die/97387689261?ref=ts&fref=ts#!/photo.php?fbid=10151153385809262&set=a.485859064261.267405.97387689261&type=1&theater

    By Jean Bruce (30/10/2012)
  • So sweet finding this! Best working days of my life at Dunstable Waitrose! And how happy we’d be to revive our flagging town Ironically, the site is now a Poundland, one of the fastest growing shops in the country! Happy days and thank you for this! Jean x

    By Jean Bruce (29/10/2012)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.