Waitrose to open fifth store

Waitrose has unveiled plans to open its fifth store in Scotland. The proposed new store in Helensburgh, like the branch that opened in the Glasgow suburb of Newton Mearns yesterday, is set to be one of Waitrose's larger format shops and is likely to boast a garage and other products from its sister company John Lewis.

Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: "Waitrose Newton Mearns, together with our plans for a fifth store in Helensburgh, is a further demonstration of our ambitions to make our brand far more accessible to Scottish consumers."

The brand receives thousands of letters every year from residents keen to secure a store in their area.

The Helensburgh branch will be the first Scottish Waitrose store outside Edinburgh or Glasgow. The chain looks likely to expand further in the west of Scotland after opening a distribution centre in Lanarkshire.

Darrel Hendrie, convener of Helensburgh community council, welcomed the arrival of the store, which is earmarked for a site on the outskirts of the town centre, opposite the Hermitage Academy school. A planning application will be lodged with the local council later this year.

"We have wanted a new supermarket in Helensburgh for quite some time - people often travel to Dumbarton to do their shopping," he said.

"Quite a few residents have previously expressed that they would like something like a Marks & Spencer food store, so I think they will be pleased with Waitrose - it's a similar kind of shop and I think it is a good fit for Helensburgh, which has a number of quite upmarket areas."