Waitrose has opened a 15,000 sq ft supermarket in Greater Manchester, replacing a former Asda and marking one of its first full-line stores in eight years

Waitrose opened a 15,000 sq ft store on The Square in Hale Barns at 8am today (Thursday 12th November), and the first shopper through the door left with a bouquet of flowers. Marking one of the first full-line Waitrose stores to open in eight years, the Waitrose shop replaces the former Asda supermarket in the Altrincham area.

The new supermarket stocks more than 15,000 products and puts fresh food at its centre. You’ll find dedicated meat, fish and sushi counters, a dry-aged beef cabinet, and hand-cut and speciality cheeses.

The fruit and veg section highlights organic, Fairtrade and regeneratively farmed produce. A fresh-in-store bakery and patisserie sits alongside the Waitrose No. 1, Essential Waitrose and Waitrose Duchy Organic ranges.

The wine selection is large and includes Fine & Rare bottles, plus low-and-no alcohol options.

Shoppers at the new Hale Barns Waitrose store will have access to Click & Collect for John Lewis, Waitrose Entertaining and Waitrose Cellar orders, and home delivery is available via Deliveroo and UberEats. My Waitrose members get personalised offers, free hot drinks and 20% off selected fish counter products every Friday.

Behind the scenes, the store uses electronic shelf labels, which free staff from manual price updates. Staff also have an AI app that gives instant answers on product availability, wine pairings and recipe ideas.

The Hale Barns branch employs 73 new recruits, who join three experienced Partners transferred from other Waitrose shops. Through its Community Matters initiative, the store will donate £12,000 a year to local charities and community groups.

The opening is part of Waitrose’s £1 billion nationwide investment plan. Freddie Sackey-Addo, Waitrose Regional Manager, said he hopes customers will treat the shop as their neighbourhood store, “whether they’re grabbing a quick lunch, looking for advice on what to have for dinner, or discovering something new during their regular weekly shop.”

Connor Rand, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, joined the ribbon-cutting. He said the investment shows “what a vibrant and welcoming community we have” in Hale Barns. Opening-day shoppers also received welcome drinks, food tastings, and free commemorative tote bags.