Waitrose Kenton - closed branch

Waitrose Kenton with wines and spirits kiosk 1966
John Lewis Partnership archives
Waitrose Kenton 1965
John Lewis Partnership archive collection
Waitrose Kenton - babies wait outside 1965
The Gazette

Waitrose 113 opened at Kenton Road on 7th September 1965, the manager, Mr H A Ainsworth, opened the doors at precisely 10.00am. A hundred or so prospective customers queued outside, and from opening the pace was fast and furious, the checkout operators ‘working like beavers’. Most customer comments were complimentary with one customer delighted that she wouldn’t have to pay the eightpenny fare into Harrow for her shopping, whilst another was hoping to see a good range of delicatessen. Mrs Henrietta Abbey was pleased with the quality of the meat but was disappointed to find no continental bread.

Kenton was one of the smallest branches to open at the time, with a tiny dining room and a small car park. The Waitrose Chronicle of 1979 reported that improvements had been made to the dining room, and offices, with the addition of the one-time sweet shop next door which became the branch’s self-selection wine shop. It also noted that many of the customers were known and were greeted by name.

The branch manager in 1979 was Mr Michael Foster. Deputy manager was Mr Trevor Sands and the branch office manager was Mrs Verna White. Kenton had a good number of long-serving people, said Mr Foster, amongst them Mr Duncan Mills, the wines manager, who had been at Kenton of six years and “knew 75 per cent of the people who shopped in the branch. “

The branch closed on 17th February 1996, to coincide with the opening of Waitrose South Harrow.

Comments about this page

  • It really was flipping brilliant.
    I used to run around, with my parents telling me not to. You could be in there for ages.

    Good Times.

    By Cynthia Toss (07/02/2020)
  • Met my husband here, we celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary next year and are both still Partners

    By Debbie Walker (23/10/2019)
  • I worked there as a student. It was a great place to work. I remember playing chase-the-ace in the cafe during Saturday lunchtime. There was a Christmas party version where everybody put a pound in the kitty and the winner got the lot.

    Good times.

    By Ben Grimer (01/10/2019)

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