RICHARD TUDOR THOMAS, manager of the new Waitrose store in East Cowes welcomed Islanders to an evening preview on Wednesday, before the official opening on Thursday morning by Queensgate Foundation Primary School.
Mayor of East Cowes, Peter Lloyd was amongst the invited guests on Wednesday evening and was bowled over by the choice of products and the layout of the store.
“I admire them for choosing East Cowes and wish them every success,” said Peter.
Richard Tudor Thomas thought that the evening had gone very well. “It’s not something we always do but this store is special,” said Richard. “It’s our first overseas branch,” joked Richard who grew up on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset.
“I used to wake up every morning and look across to the Isle of Wight,” said Richard little knowing that one day he would be living here. Formerly in the Royal Navy, Richard has been with Waitrose for seven years.
“I’m so excited. This store has such a lot of potential,” he added.
“A lot of people couldn’t wait to get here,” added Peter Lloyd who was keen to buy a Heston Blumenthal Christmas pudding when the store opened the following day. There are 12 lines from Heston in the store, and the puddings are selling fast.
At the reception the three Island producers whose products are currently stocked at the store were on hand to give samples of their products to visitors.
The Tomato Stall will be supplying two chutneys and two tomato juices, including a ‘golden’ tomato drink made from yellow tomatoes, and both the red and golden varieties were available for tasting.
Jeff MacDonald from The Tomato Stall said that the golden ‘sunshine’ variety, which has a slightly less acidic flavour than the red, is proving a better seller at the moment. They also had samples of their delicious chutneys on the stall.
Paul Thomas from the company said, “We are very excited about being involved with the new Waitrose store and feel that the regional sourcing team’s championing of local produce has been fantastic. A couple of weeks ago it was great to meet some of the staff who will be working at East Cowes to show them how the tomatoes are grown and let them taste the products we produce from them.”
Also on hand to give out samples were the other two Island producers stocked at the store. The Garlic Farm had their chutney varieties Vampire’s Delight, Fig, Apple & Garlic, Rhubarb & Pear and Garlic & Horseradish Mustard.
Goddards Brewery will be stocking East Cowes with four varieties of ale and bitter and had samples on offer for tasting.
Waitrose Local and Regional Manager, Oliver O’Mara, comments “It’s fantastic to be bringing on board three totally new local suppliers to our new East Cowes store. Their passion and commitment really show in the quality of their produce - all of which look as good as they taste.”
The 18,000 sq ft store will eventually be the first shop to be fully powered by a biomas boiler by early summer 2011 when the Energy Centre has been approved and built, making it the most ‘green’ supermarket in the UK.
Other green initiatives include HFC-free fridges, the use of cold air retrieval instead of air-conditioning and ‘sun pipes’ to illuminate the checkout areas.
The company advertised for 160 staff to run the new store and received over 900 applicants. All successful applicants have now been given a comprehensive training programme and are ready to welcome shoppers to the store.
The store will have £1000 each month to give away to a local charity or cause and this month Cowes RNLI will receive the bonus. Mr. Mark Southwell from Cowes RNLI was at the reception and looking forward to using the windfall for improvements to their service.
Members of the East Cowes Business Action Group were very impressed with the store, especially the amount of choice and the prices.
Waitrose East Cowes Branch Manager, Richard Tudor Thomas, remarked. “It’s great to be finally opening on the Island. The store looks amazing, and now that we have permission for the Energy Centre, I look forward to East Cowes being the most sustainable supermarket store in the UK when the Centre is up and running next year.
“We have an absolutely fantastic team, plus some great local suppliers, and hope that our customers are as enthusiastic about the store’s opening as our team is. I’m really looking forward to introducing myself to and working with the community and can’t wait to hear what our customers think of the new store.”
