Beckenham: Opening

Waitrose Beckenham opened in September 1994.  The following appeared in the Partnership’s magazine, The Gazette, at the time.

The Partnership’s newest supermarket is ideally placed for the daytime shopper and the commuter.

Nobody who catches a train at Beckenham Junction can fail to miss the new Waitrose. Rising from the ashes of a British Rail coal yard, it fills the view from the platforms.
Partners in turn have an excellent view of the trains from the branch dining room and the adjacent terrace. The dining room is dominated by a floor to ceiling window which looks down over the station and towards Beckenham High Street. French windows connect the dining room to the terrace which has attractive wooden seating and planting boxes.
Glass is one of the overriding impressions of the branch. The lower part of the front of the shop is an almost complete wall of glass with the run of 17 checkouts slotted in behind.
Customers are welcomed into the branch with colourful displays of plants and fresh and dried flowers. Greetings cards, newspapers, magazines, and the customer service desk are also situated at the entrance to the shop, as are the customer toilets and baby changing area.
Again, at the front of the building, but at the opposite side is the spacious and attractive wine department. Here there is room for a chilled cabinet to hold a wide selection of white wine, plus special displays, both for the wines of the month and Waitrose’s large assortment of half bottles.  The service counters run the length of the back wall and include the bake-off, patisserie, meat fish and delicatessen.
Like all new branches, Beckenham has a tempting selection of ready prepared meals. Apart from the food on sale at the delicatessen, there is an excellent salad bar and a large range of chilled and frozen meals.
The new branch with selling floor and warehouse on one level is extensively landscaped. It is within walking distance of Beckenham’s bustling shopping centre as well as of the station and is ideally placed to catch the daytime shopper and commuters returning from work.

The branch, which has more than 200 partners, will be trading for more than 70 hours a week.

Edited excerpt from The Gazette Vol 76, 10th September 1994.