Following its appointment of a 'head of convenience' Waitrose is believed to be starting a move into the convenience sector with a trial of smaller formats.
Antony Wysome, a former senior project manager at Waitrose, has been promoted to run the initiative that will see the Partnership advancing its aggressive expansion strategy.
Waitrose is thought to be looking at a national initiative that will take on Marks & Spencer Simply Food, Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express, beginning with the identification of possible sites.
A spokesman for Waitrose told MB&R: "We are exploring the potential for smaller shops, but we would be looking at carrying out a trial of a convenience format before any roll-out".
He added that the firm was looking at "opportunities to take the Waitrose brand to areas where it's not currently represented".
He added that the firm was currently looking for potential sites to trial the convenience format (in addition to possible Market Town sites) "within the next six to nine months".
The Waitrose convenience stores under consideration were thought to have a floor area between 3,000 sq ft and 4,000 sq ft.
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