Waitrose is preparing to open its first-ever airport store in a busy London hub next month, marking a new chapter for the premium grocer.
The high-end supermarket will be taking over four Relay stores in Heathrow Terminal 2, which serves approximately 20 million passengers annually.
The first store is scheduled to open in May, with further plans to have another two located airside, while one will be based landside.
With a focus on food-to-go-options designed for busy travellers, passengers will be spoilt for choice with a range of sandwiches, wraps, salads, sushi, and snack pots on offer.
Fans will also find items from Waitrose’s premium No. 1 range, alongside fresh fruit, granolas, smoothies and baked goods like croissants for early departures.
To meet the needs of time-pressed passengers, the first upper-level airside store will be open seven days a week, from 5am to 10pm.
Charlotte Di Cello, Waitrose Chief Commercial Officer, said: ‘Launching at Heathrow marks our first move into airport retail and an important step in growing our brand by bringing our offer to more customers in high-traffic locations.
‘In partnership with Lagardère Travel Retail and Relay, our food-to-go offer will launch in four stores in Terminal 2 by the end of the year, building on the progress we’re already making in travel retail, alongside continued investment in our own shops and online offer.’
Waitrose is set to open the first of four airport stores at London Heathrow Terminal 2 in May
Passengers willl be treated to a wide range of food-to-go options, including sandwiches, sushi, snack pots, fresh fruit and baked goods
Nicholas Dunne, Commercial Director of Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland, said: ‘This partnership with Waitrose marks a significant step in our ambition to elevate the food-to-go experience within our blended Travel Essentials offer.
‘By bringing one of the UK’s most trusted premium food brands to Relay at Heathrow Terminal 2, we are combining quality, convenience and strong brand recognition to better serve passengers in a fast-paced environment.
‘The partnership demonstrates our ability to leverage our cross-business line expertise and partner with leading High Street brands to adapt their offer to the specific needs of travellers.’
It appears the brand has made the right move in terms of where it’s expanding, as Heathrow continues to outshine other UK airports – and global hubs – for its culinary offerings.
In a study that analysed data from Instagram, Google, TripAdvisor, and Yelp to create a definitive ‘Travel Foodie Score’ for international airports, London Heathrow came out on top, outperforming major culinary capitals like Tokyo and Hong Kong.
The London airport boasts the highest average Google rating of any airport worldwide (4.28) and nearly 900,000 Instagram posts – giving it a travel foodie score of 99.16.
This is a much higher score than the hub in second place – Tokyo Haneda – which scored just 88.24.
However, Japan proves it’s a culinary powerhouse, claiming four spots in the top 10.
The move is especially strategic as Heathrow Terminal 2 serves around 20 million passengers annually
As well as Tokyo Haneda, Tokyo Narita came in fourth place with a score of 81.28, Fukuoka sixth with a score of 77.31, and Chubu Centrair in ninth, with 66.44.
Paul Stewart, CEO of My Baggage, who conducted the research, said: ‘For many travellers, the holiday begins the moment they step into the terminal, and the quality of dining is now a major part of that experience.
‘Our study shows that London Heathrow is currently the gold standard for airport food, combining high-quality options with a massive social media appeal.
‘It’s also striking to see Japan’s dominance in the rankings, with four airports in the top ten.’
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