The UK coffee group has launched a new coffee shop concept in five Waitrose stores across the UK and is set to open a Caffè Nero outlet at department store chain John Lewis
The Nero Roasting Company supplies Waitrose’s free in-store hot beverage offer | Photo credit: Waitrose
London-based The Nero Group has expanded its collaboration with premium supermarket retailer Waitrose and announced a new partnership between Caffè Nero and John Lewis.
In a press release, The Nero Group announced the launch of a new in-store cafè concession with Waitrose, which will serve coffee from The Nero Roasting Company alongside food from the supermarket chain.
The concept has initially been launched at five Waitrose stores in the UK towns of Billericay, Godalming, Keynsham, Locks Heath and Stroud.
The Nero Group is also planning to launch a standalone 1,500sq ft Caffè Nero store in John Lewis’ White City outlet in London. Both 340-store Waitrose and 34-site department store chain John Lewis are owned by London-based The John Lewis Partnership.
“We have always seen the potential to deepen this relationship further and the launch of the new cafès in Waitrose is a key step in that process, as is widening the scope of our relationship with our first Caffè Nero store within a John Lewis store. There is still so much scope for our partnership to continue to grow,” said Will Stratton-Morris, CEO, Caffè Nero UK.
The Nero Group and Waitrose first partnered in 2021 when the Nero Roasting Company became the coffee supplier for Waitrose’s free hot beverage offer, which is available to the company’s nine million myWaitrose loyalty members.
Coffee has been a key pillar of Waitrose’s strategy to boost customer footfall since 2013, when it first began serving free coffee to its loyalty members – a move described by then Managing Director Mark Price as ‘disruptive’ due to its focus on boosting customer engagement over profit.
The loss leader was credited with boosting the brand’s loyalty membership from 1.8 million in 2012 to four million within 12 months and remains a key benefit across Waitrose’s 320 self-serve machines and 130 in-store cafés.
The premium supermarket chain further strengthened its coffee offer with the launch of 280sq ft Gail’s takeaway café at its Canary Wharf supermarket in June 2024.
Read related content: Can coffee cure the UK’s high street blues?
The Nero Group currently operates over 1,050 stores across 10 markets, primarily under its flagship Caffè Nero brand. In the UK, the business also manages the Coffee#1 and Harris+Hoole cafè chains, alongside the recently acquired 200 Degrees Coffee and FCB Coffee brands.