Waitrose Altrincham boosts local supply chain

The fourth Waitrose supermarket in Cheshire opens its doors for business on Thursday 15 October with 16 local and regional suppliers represented on its shelves.

The store on Draybank Road, in the Stamford Brook development by Redrow and the National Trust, follows others in Sandbach, Wilmslow and Cheadle Hulme.

Tracey Marshall, a regional manager at the chain, said: "Opening our fourth food shop in Cheshire means that we've been able to extend our contracts with a number of local suppliers, which has given us the opportunity to forge even deeper ties with them. At Waitrose we're passionate about working with, and feel that it is essential to support, local producers, and I'm always on the look-out for new producers wanting to supply us."

Among the local suppliers is Manchester-based brewery Joseph Holt, which already supplies the supermarket's Sandbach and Cheadle Hulme stores, and can now increase its contract due to the opening at Waitrose Altrincham.

Last year, Waitrose dropped plans to open a store in Hale Barns, where certain residents campaigned against the supermarket.

Waitrose is part of the John Lewis Partnership and has 217 branches in its portfolio.