LONDON, 2015-10-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — The multichannel evolution of Waitrose heats up today with the launch of a brand new website offering customers all the kit they need to prepare, cook and enjoy great food at home.
From this week, waitrosekitchen.com will offer customers a significantly wider range online of over 3000 products, from cookware and utensils to cookbooks and coffee machines, to spiralizers and blenders. The site will also offer ideas, expertise and inspiration to enable those who have a passion for cooking to enjoy experimenting and developing their skills.
The total kitchen market is sized at over £4.5bn and has rapidly grown in recent years with online sales projected to grow to £1bn by 2018*. Waitrose plans to increase its share in this expanding market six fold within the next five years.
The launch of waitrosekitchen.com builds on the supermarket’s growing multichannel presence, which includes the recently launched specialist shops www.waitroseflorist.com, www.waitrosecellar.com, www.waitrosegifts.com,www.waitrosegarden.com, and www.waitrosepet.com in addition to the retailer’s main website for groceries, www.waitrose.com.
Robert McCarthy, Head of eCommerce, said: ‘We already offer our customers the ingredients, ideas and expertise and so waitrosekitchen.com is a natural evolution for Waitrose and a real step forward in our multichannel strategy. The essence of the site is to bring together our customers love of food and cooking with all the equipment they need. The website will give them access to exciting products, competitive prices and ultimate convenience.’
The launch now means many UK customers will be able to order waitrosekitchen.com products directly to their homes in the UK, or click and collect to their nearest branch. If customers order by 9pm, they can collect the next day from their nearest Waitrose branch.
In addition to hundreds of own brand products, the website will also feature top brands such as Le Creuset, KitchenAid and Nordicware, as well as some niche and innovative products such as the automatic pan stirrer and the Smoking Gun, a handheld smoker which can smoke almost anything from cheese to chocolate. Top trends will also be highlighted on the site as well as a focus on seasonal products, such as juicers, smoothie makers, soup makers and steamers.
To celebrate the launch of waitrosekitchen.com customers are being offered 20% off when they spend £30 or more, excluding kitchen appliances, until 24 November 2015.
waitrosekitchen.com will complement food and cooking expertise on other Waitrose channels, including its publications, Waitrose TV, social media and in branch activity. The website will help to connect all of these elements to inspire customers with the latest innovation and ideas to inspire cooks across the country.
Notes to editors
* According to Conlumino, July 2013.
Waitrose – the Nation’s Favourite Supermarket¹ and winner of the Best Supermarket² and Best Food and Grocery Retailer³ awards – currently has 342 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 61 convenience branches, and another 28 shops at Welcome Break locations. It combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop – dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. Waitrose also exports its products to 50 countries worldwide and has seven shops in the Middle East. (www.waitrose.com)
¹ Conlumino Awards, 2014
² Good Housekeeping Best Supermarket 2014, Which? Best Supermarket 2014
³ Verdict Best Food and Grocery Retailer 2014
Enquiries
For further information please contact:
Kerry Davies, Corporate Communications Manager
Email: kerry.davies@waitrose.co.uk
Telephone: 01344 824325
SOURCE: John Lewis Partnership