19 Nov 2009 09:42
Waitrose ‘Cleans Up’ in Clerkenwell
New food shop provides ‘green’ welcome to customers
Passers-by in Clerkenwell certainly won’t miss the fact that Waitrose is opening there this Thursday, when the retailer sets about welcoming shoppers to its newest branch with an innovative ‘green’ marketing campaign.
The 174 St Johns Street shop, which opens at 8.30 am, will be the first-ever Waitrose branch to use a technique called ‘Clean Advertising’1, which involves removing the dirt from pavements in the area to create eye-catching adverts. Thirty of these ‘green’ messages will appear on Thursday morning, to point shoppers in the right direction.
In addition, the retailer will project an enormous 50 ft image of baguettes onto a nearby building2. Appearing after dusk for two weeks, the image will ensure that customers are still able to find their way to the ‘delicious’ new store on their way home from work.
The opening has created 85 jobs for the area, and all new employees will be greeting shoppers as ‘green’ ambassadors by giving away 35,000 ‘Bags for Life’, worth a total of £3,500. This is designed to encourage customers to re-use their carrier bags rather than depending on single use bags, and will be given out at the checkout for shoppers to pack their purchases with.
Clerkenwell Branch Manager, Neil Ovenden, comments “We are delighted to be pioneering a new 'green' marketing campaign which we are sure will tempt plenty of shoppers to come and discover the wide selection of quality and great value food that will be available. It’s fantastic that we are opening in this area of London for the first time and the store is looking great, it’s really taken shape over the past few weeks.
“Our investment in the area has been substantial, and we have recruited an excellent calibre of employees, who will all become Partners in the business. We will also be showing our commitment to this part of London through our ‘Community Matters’3 scheme, which will see us donate £12,000 a year to 36 local good causes.”
The new shop will feature a wide range of fresh food including a meat, fish, cheese and delicatessen counter and a bakery and patisserie. Shoppers can also discover the essential Waitrose range4, and buy a range of local produce such as delicious bread from Poliane Bakery and Gail’s Bread, who are both based less than 8 miles away from the branch!
For the time conscious lunchtime shoppers, the branch will offer a selection of ‘foods-to-go’ such as ‘made in branch’ baguettes and freshly brewed coffee. Waitrose Entertaining5, the supermarket’s hassle-free ordering service for every occasion and taste will also be available.
- Ends -
Notes to Editors:
1) Curb Media, will place the ‘Clean Advertising’ on the streets of Clerkenwell, using laser cut stencils, pressure washers and steam cleaners to remove dirt and create a stark contrast between the surface and its original colour. They will last for up to 20 weeks, and it is hoped that this new technique will be rolled out to future Waitrose branches in city and town centre locations.
2) The 50ft projection has been created by Waitrose integrated agency, Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw. The agency is based 200m down the road form Waitrose Clerkenwell, and it will be its building that the image is projected onto.
3) During November, Waitrose Clerkenwell will be supporting the following three local causes through its ‘Community Matters’ scheme:
- St Johns Ambulance - the UK’s leading first aid charity
- Great Ormond Street Hospital - provides world-class care for its young patients and their families and pioneers new treatments and cures for childhood illnesses.
- St Albans CofE Primary School, Holborn.
Customers will be given a green token at the checkout which they place in the box of one of the three local causes that the branch is supporting that month. Each month, a £1,000 donation will be split between the three causes in relation to the number of tokens they receive. Shoppers can also join the branch in nominating the causes that matter to them, and who they would like to see supported, by filling in a ‘Community Matters’ form in-store.
4) essential Waitrose is the supermarket’s own-label range which comprises of staple grocery items with the quality and welfare standards you would expect from Waitrose at affordable prices.
5) Waitrose Entertaining is the retailer’s hassle-free ordering service that is perfect for every taste and occasion. For more information or to order visit Waitrose Clerkenwell, call 0800 169 2701 or go online at waitrose.com/entertaining.
About Waitrose:
• The Clerkenwell store becomes its 52nd in London and 221st in the UK. Waitrose has shops in England, Wales and Scotland, all dedicated to offering quality fresh food, value and customer service.
• Waitrose was last night voted 'National Food and Drink Retailer of the Year' at the Telegraph Magazine Shop Awards. This year, Waitrose has also been voted ‘Britain's favourite supermarket’ by Which? Magazine, Good Housekeeping Magazine and in a viewer survey by BBC Watchdog.
• Waitrose has won more major wine awards than any other supermarket.
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