Business

Waitrose Considers Axing Thousands of Products in Range Shake-Up

Waitrose is weighing plans to remove thousands of products from its shelves, according to reports. The upmarket UK grocer wants to cut the number of

By Elena Vance

November 14, 20261 min read

Waitrose Considers Axing Thousands of Products in Range Shake-Up

Waitrose is weighing plans to remove thousands of products from its shelves, according to reports. The upmarket UK grocer wants to cut the number of near-identical items it sells and drop lines that sell poorly.

The retailer is in talks with suppliers about the plan, sources said. It has signalled that low-selling products have outlived their shelf life.

A "home of food lovers"

The overhaul fits a wider push to reinvent Waitrose as the "home of food lovers". The chain stocks more than 15,000 individual products in its large stores.

It is known for carrying unusual cooking ingredients that can be hard to find at rival high street supermarkets. Any pruning would therefore reshape one of the broadest ranges among UK grocers.

How products would be chosen

Waitrose will reportedly decide what goes by looking at how loyal customers are to particular products. Lines that shoppers buy repeatedly would, on that logic, be safer than those they rarely choose.

It is not yet known whether any well-known brands will leave Waitrose shelves. No timetable for the cuts has been reported.

Expansion continues

The range review comes as the supermarket looks to grow its store estate. It recently opened an 18,000 square foot store in Cricklewood, North London, its first new store of that size in more than 10 years.

For shoppers, the practical effect would be fewer overlapping choices on the shelf. The loyalty test suggests the products most likely to go are those few customers return to buy.