Waitrose opens at Hale Barns

This will be the third supermarket to give the spot at The Square a try, with the 15,000 sq ft unit formerly having housed a Booths and an Asda.

Waitrose opened its doors in Hale Barnes yesterday. The branch, which is staffed by 76 employees, includes meat, fish, and sushi counters alongside a dry-aged beef cabinet, specialty cheese section, and in-store patisserie.

The store will also serve as a click-and-collect point for John Lewis, Waitrose Entertaining, and Waitrose Cellar.

The supermarket unit at The Square first opened in 2015 as a Booths. The brand left 2024, with Asda taking over shortly after before its own departure in July of this year.

Waitrose’s opening followed a multi-million-pound refrubishment and is part of Waitrose’s wider £1bn investment programme. This programme will see 28 Waitrose stores refurbished nationwide alongside a series of store openings.

Waitrose is actively looking to continue its expansion efforts, soliciting offers around potential future locations in suburbs or town centres with between 50 and 250 parking spaces.

Regarding the Hale Barns opening, Waitrose regional manager Freddie Sackey-Addo said: “This destination store has been designed around a genuine passion for food – from our partners working on the counters and bakery to the curated wine selection and fresh fruit, vegetables and more.

“We hope our customers treat this as their neighbourhood shop, 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. Hale Barns is a great location and we can’t wait to meet all our new customers.”

In addition to its new location at Hale Barnes, Waitrose has sizeable Greater Manchester stores in Cheadle Hulme and Altrincham.