Stirling (620): Opening

Waitrose opened its most northerly branch at the time, in Stirling, Scotland on 24th January 2013. Despite a snowy start, trade for the first week was “strong”, as reported in The Partnership’s in-house magazine, The Gazette.

Branch Manager, Lindsay Clifford, commented that “on the Friday we had persistent heavy snow, but that didn’t stop the customers from coming in to super Stirling”.

Among the more popular items sold on opening week was haggis, in time for Burns Night.

The 24,000 sq ft branch was the fifth to be opened in Scotland, as the division already had shops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newton Mearns, nicknamed Scotland’s ‘Fantastic Five’.

It was a rather rush to the finish, with the car park still being cleared half an hour before the 8am cutting of the ribbon, attended by Stirling Member of the Scottish Parliament Bruce Crawford.

First customer Jean Cuthbert, 72, a local who has spent a long time following Waitrose’s progress, said she had arrived early to support the workers: “I’ve been watching them building on the site since it started,” she said. As reported in The Partnerships, in-house magazine, The Waitrose Chronicle.

Facilities currently available at Stirling include fresh fish, cheese, delicatessen and meat counters.

Address: Waitrose Ltd, Unit 1, Burghmuir Retail Park, Burghmuir Road, Stirlingshire, FK7 7GX