Sunningdale (190): Opening

Opening on October 11th 1988, Waitrose Sunningdale is a bright spectacle that can’t be missed from the A30 with its red-tiled roof, clock tower, weather vane and turret!

As reported in The Partnerships in-house magazine, The Gazette, Mike Fenn, the Waitrose architect who designed the building, explained that his plans for the new store had been governed by the surrounding buildings. There were a lot of smaller shops nearby, therefore Mike decided to opt for a 45 degree pitch of the roof so that you get an overall impression of red-tiles rather than bricks. Dormer windows also break up the roof area and provide plenty of natural light to the inside of the store.

Beech wood has been used inside of the octagonal turret, which gives the Partners’ Dining Room a rather “ecclesiastical look.”

The positioning of the store provided locals with a much needed big food store, whilst also serving rail commuters and driving customers from further afield, with a 160 space car park.

Behind the scenes, the facilities, at the time of opening, were fantastic with plenty of office space as well as a scissor lift which could be raised or lowered to different lorry tail-gate heights and keeps the heat in the warehouse and the noise from the lorry out of the shop.

Prior to opening, there was training provided which included a 14-mile hike and spending a night in a tent for managers and section managers in Kent!

Facilities currently available at Sunningdale Waitrose include fresh fish, cheese, delicatessen, sushi, meat and bakery counters, as well as, flower wrapping and dry cleaning.

Address: London Road, Sunningdale, Berkshire, SL5 0HD