London, Oct 1 - Waitrose, the supermarket chain owned by British retailer John Lewis, said it planned to open its first convenience shop on Dec. 11 in the central English city of Nottingham opposite an existing John Lewis department store.
The employee-owned stores group aims to open a further three similar stores by spring next year specialising in fresh produce such as cheese, meat and fish, and baked bread, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
Waitrose which currently has 192 branches is aiming to double the size of its business by 2017. It said the new convenience stores will have sales areas ranging between 5,000 and 7,000 square feet.