Waitrose is planning a rollout of a convenience format of upmarket stores that is likely to take on local farmers' markets by offering another channel for local suppliers.
The Market Town store format is being trialled at the existing branch in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, and will launch fully at Buckingham this month, followed by Brackley, Northamptonshire, in July.
Both are sites recently acquired from other retailers.
The format will be applied to 10,000 sq ft-15,000 sq ft stores located in small towns.
Waitrose MD Mark Price said the partnership had identified the potential of smaller shops with a more traditional grocery shop feel.
"We've aimed to reflect the ambience of a traditional grocery shop by focusing on the sense of community and service," he said.
Features of the new shops include the doubling of locally produced lines. Over half the shops will be dedicated to fresh produce, and a Community Wall will feature local information.
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