Waitrose - Local and Regional Sourcing

Public concerns around freshness, ethical production standards and food miles means local food from small-scale producers has never been more popular.  .  Local and regional food is something Waitrose has been actively promoting and supporting for many years. As one of the most established and successful initiatives in its sector, the Waitrose Local and Regional sourcing programme represents a breakthrough for small producers.

Waitrose's dedicated local sourcing team continually searches the UK for the finest local and regional products, and works with existing and new suppliers to take local and regional sourcing into new territories. The scheme has exceeded all expectations,  driven by Waitrose’s expansion into new areas in the north, where Waitrose is keen to open its branches with a ‘regional’ personality and responds to growing customer interest in provenance, quality and traceability. 

Waitrose Local and Regional Sourcing now includes in excess of 300 producers offering over 1,200 product lines.  Waitrose has also recently launched regional fruit and vegetables, displayed in dedicated areas in 86 stores in seven regions (Kent, Heart of England, Wales, West Country, East Anglia, Yorkshire and Scotland).  An initiative unique to Waitrose, it will soon be available in a further three regions.  Just under 400 new lines are also being sourced for its two new Scottish branches. 

Many of these products, including own-label Waitrose Select Farm Scottish Milk and Aberdeen Angus Beef, come from its 55 new Scottish suppliers.  These were introduced as a direct result of ‘Meet the Buyer ‘ days held in Edinburgh, which allow food producers to introduce their products and find out more about Waitrose.