"waitrose" news and stories

In light of the usual not-in-my-town stories of supermarkets opening, it is "refreshing" to see a story about one town who is welcoming a new store.

Since the closure of Morrison's in London's Gypsy Hill, local traders say that visitor numbers dropped considerably and they launched a campaign to attract one of the big chains to open. Waitrose was their initial choice (which shows the area has a certain level of affluence) but the store declined, leaving the way open for Sainsburys. Even the local deli is welcoming the opening despite estimates of loosing £300-£400 in sales a day.

Sainsbury's expects some 4,000 customers to visit its store each week, and local shop-keepers expect a trickle-down effect. As one shop owner said if only 1% of these people visit his store that is an extra 40 customers a week.

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Starting today, the UK supermarket chain, Waitrose, is launching a new project that will promote the sale of  less-than-perfect seasonal fruits and vegetables, in addition to their standard produce. They will be offered at a discounted rate, 50p to £1 off from the original price, and marketed as being ideal for use in cooking. Supermarkets have long been criticized for only wanting to buy and sell totally unblemished products, a stance than has furthered farmer's efforts to produce hearty produce, sometimes at the expense of flavor or through an increase use of pesticides. With the new plan, not only will more produce be used, but consumers will gradually be introduced to the idea that not ever apple or tomato is always perfectly round or perfectly red.

Think of it as shopping at a discount store where the products have tags indicating that there is a manufacturer's defect, like a small run in the side or a crimp in the hem, because the principal is similar. The quality of the product will be the same, if not better, but the goods will not be quite as pretty. The range will include will include year-round fruits like rhubarb and Bramley apples, in addition to seasonal plums, cherries, pears and berries.

Not every strawberry can be without a slightly smushed edge from shipping nor can every pear be perfectly pear shaped. With a discount as incentive, Waitrose is hoping that its customers will see those things, too.

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Waitrose has got to be one of the most well-fare orientated supermarkets in the UK. The up-market chain has long supported its food producers by ploughing a sizeable proportion of its profits back into their communities.

Fruit growers in South Africa for example, have just seen more than £330,000 (US$614,000)  and hope to receive a further £500,000 given to fund various educational projects. These donations come from the the Waitrose Foundation, which operates as a partnership between the supermarket and members of the supply chain.was established as a long-term response to South Africa's social and economic problems

Around 25 educational schemes have already been launched on 10 citrus farms across South Africa. These provide support and training in literacy and IT, as well as classes in craft work to enable farm workers to earn an income out of season. The citrus season is only six months long so it is vital to teach new skills to the growers.

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Waitrose is opening its farm, Leckford, for three days in June to the public. Over the 23rd to the 25th June you can visit the farm that provides the supermarket with its milk, fruit, mushrooms and other crops.

Advanced booking costs £8 per person or £20 for a family ticket.

The day offers a tractor tour of the farm, a look at the Longstock nursery (national collections of Buddleia and Clematis), cookery demonstrations (TV chef Katie Bishop and students from the Waitrose-sponsored Specialist Chefs Scholarship course) and tastings, small producer stalls and the like.

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The Australian barramundi fish is to go on sale in 165 Waitrose supermarkets today in the hope that it might help to save the cod.

The 12,000 odd mile journey to the UK has, in the past, meant that the fish would never compete with domestically caught fish. But now that the fish has been bred locally its famously 'delicate and buttery taste' can be fully experienced in the UK.  

Thousands of the fish have been harvested at England’s first barramundi farm after an intensive breeding programme. 600,000 fish were imported from Australia last September and were raised - they are brought in young and alive -  in 48 tanks that hold three million litres of fresh, recycled water that is heated to a tropical 28C (82F), the same temperature the fish is used to in Australia.

It is expected to go on sale at about £15 a kilogram. No idea how that compares to Australian prices but seems a touch high to me.

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