Waitrose, the food shops of the John Lewis Partnership, has today announced that it has reached an agreement with The Co-operative Group to acquire its shop in Alderley Edge.
Waitrose intends to use the unit to extend its existing convenience store at The Parade into the neighbouring unit to provide shoppers with an improved choice of goods and services.
All 17 Co-operative employees who work at the shop will become Partners in the John Lewis Partnership on the date of transfer. Waitrose is also hoping to create up to an additional 40 jobs at the branch.
The Co-operative branch will continue to trade as normal until Waitrose is handed the keys on 1st May when it will commence works to enable it to open in early summer at a date to be confirmed.
Waitrose Alderely Edge currently donates £6,000 and 100 staff working hours to local causes nominated by customers each year through Community Matters and Partner Volunteering schemes; however this will increase to £12,000 and 250 hours when it opens as a larger store in June.
Nigel Keen, Director of Development at Waitrose, said: "We are looking forward to providing our Alderley Edge customers with a significantly improved offer this summer and continuing to play our part in the community as well as welcoming the new employees to Waitrose and the John Lewis Partnership."
A spokesperson for The Co-operative Group said: "The Co-operative Group can confirm that it is in the process of selling its food store in Alderley Edge and has exchanged contracts with Waitrose.
"The store on The Parade, London Road, Alderley Edge, is being sold as a going concern, and all 17 food staff, will transfer to the new operator with their terms and conditions of employment maintained. It will continue to trade as a Co-operative store until it transfers to Waitrose in May.
"We are pleased to have concluded a deal which ensures employment for the staff, as well as a continuing service for the local community in which the store is based."
Comments
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Last week I bought a ticket and I was quicker in the shop than I was buying the ticket and putting it in my car. Tried to pass it off to another car parker but not one person even attempted to buy a ticket, must just be me that's a mug.
However, now it will be twice as large so expect many more items to be offered for sale.
Ps; A very noble gesture in offering other motorists your hardly-used Parking Ticket that you'd just purchased, but maybe you didn't have success with giving it away as it's actually breaking the law by offering / selling / giving away / your parking ticket for others to use if purchased for your own use and still valid.
The reason no one took the ticket was because no one had any intention of buying one, everyone I saw just got out of their car and walked into Waitrose. They had zero intention of buying a ticket. Like I say it's me that is the mug for buying the ticket and now a law braker for trying to give the thing away. (rolls eyes)
As for reasonably priced, you can call me mean if you like, but I regularly check out all three stores to compare prices before I buy. It's surprising just how often Waitrose has the product I want at the best price. If Co-Op had wanted to stay alive they should have competed overtly on price. It always seemed to me that they were trapped by a national pricing policy rather actively competing in the village. Sad to see the brand leave the village - no - its only a small step up from the tatty Somerfield and Kwik Save that preceeded them on that site, glad the staff will become Waitrose Partners - seems like excellent news for them.
It's also very good that the current employees will be able to work for Waitrose and get all the excellent benefits that brings with it.
Result all round as far as I'm concerned!
They give free coffee away !
However, there is an opportunity for a single store to offer refunds of parking tickets for, say, a minimum spend. That would also help other retailers in the village by encouraging shoppers to stay in the village.
Waitrose are to be congratulated on increasing their store size because it will offer a much better range. The price war challenge will be for Waitrose to keep shoppers in the village, plus to attract outsiders. The extra footfall from visitors to the village means the prices in the village have to be keen - no one will drive past cheaper outlets in Wilmslow just to spend more in Alderley. Good news all round, I think. Up to 40 extra staff, potentially driving cars? Must find somewhere to build a car park!!
As for building an other car park. I know that a number of the coop employees and waitrose partners either live in the village or travel by train, not all of course.
And as you well know that I'm the chairman of the allotment society and I'm not going to debate policy or conjecture of the PC on this forum. So stop your mischief !
My point is still valid. The current siting was designed to cover two locations, one underground, adjacent to the precinct. It makes sense to finalise the transformation of the site and then work out who the car park is serving. The car park will remain the only short stay option for people who are not visiting Waitrose - I exclude South Street because it has a high proportion of all day parking.
It will also be an opportunity to introduce new technology arrangements into the equation. Recently I was in Hertford and there was number plate recognition software in use. This meant I had options re payment : I could leave the car park without paying, and pay online, within the next 24 hours, or I could pay at a machine when I had completed my task.
Cheshire East have themselves introduced technology to pay by phone, at South Street car park. So there are different options which can be considered.
One thing which must be guarded against is driving people away; the warden service will shortly be outsourced to a private company, and my guess is that they will be like vigilantes on this car park. I would suggest that we want a system which raises fair revenue, without creating a penalty charge culture - or I should say without perpetuating the current penalty system.
It is also an opportunity to extend the hours of charge; diners park for free, and yet they have a high spend. Altrincham charge £2.50 -fixed- for parking in the evening. That sort of charge could help keep current parking charges reasonable for local shoppers.
I run a my buisness absolutely fine shopping from lidl's and I get good reviews all the time about our cooking.
Lidl is only a five minute drive away and I reccomend very highly.
It is soo cheap and it allows us to make excellent profits on our menu.