Twickenham 660: Opening

Waitrose Twickenham opened on 11th July 2000. The following appeared in The Gazette at the time.

Waitrose Twickenham opened last Tuesday [11/7/2000] as the march of Somerfield supermarkets joining the Partnership regiment continued at full pace.

The new branch, in the heart of Twickenham’s busy shopping area and with a large multistorey carpark close by, has the full range of service counters: a spacious fruit and vegetable department; a service counter providing everything from special orders to home delivery; a smart coffee shop – which was already proving popular with customers on opening morning – and an extensive range of meals-in-minutes.

“We are close to a heavily-used railway station and expect to do a good trade in
prepared meals as people call in on their way home from work.” says Bob Griffin, Branch Manager. “We will also be very busy at lunchtime as some 8000 people work in Twickenham, and a lot of them are looking for something to buy to eat for lunch as well as doing more general food shopping. I am very pleased with the layout and merchandising of our meals section and I’m sure
Twickenham customers will be impressed with the imaginative range of easily prepared meals we have on offer.”

There are a number of Waitrose branches close by, including Kingston and Richmond, but Mr Griffin is not worried about competition from his colleagues. “I‘m sure it will work to our advantage. Our name and high standards are already known to customers, but anyone who lives this side of the Thames won’t have to fight their way through the heavy traffic across the bridges. “Having seen this shop before our refurbishment work started I can’t believe how good it looks – my congratulations go to everyone involved.”

Bill Bishop, Head of Selling Services (Waitrose), agrees that the transformation between the old Somerfield and the new Waitrose is particularly startling at Twickenham.

The branch’s ex-Somerfield Partners (most of the 120 original staff have stayed to work in the refurbished shop) are also enjoying the transformed supermarket.

Mark Price, Director of Selling and Marketing (Waitrose) sees Twickenham as an excellent addition to the supermarket division. “The new shop is a credit to everyone concerned,“ he says.  Its arrival is certainly seen as a plus by local businesses. “Waitrose will draw new customers into Twickenham,” says John Austin, Twickenham Town Centre Manager. “It is going to be a real asset to our town.”