Waitrose To Test Airport Retailing At London Heathrow After Parent’s 2020 Exit

BusinessRetailWaitrose To Test Airport Retailing At London Heathrow After Parent’s 2020 ExitByKevin Rozario,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Kevin covers retail, airports, and the global traveling shopper.Follow AuthorApr 20, 2026, 09:37pm EDTApr 20, 2026, 09:40pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This rendering shows Waitrose and Relay having equal weight on branding. Waitrose/LagardèreWaitrose, the upscale supermarket arm of U.K. department store operator John Lewis Partnership (JLP), will open its first airport store at London Heathrow’s Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal) this coming May. The popular brand’s arrival will be in partnership with the UK & Ireland subsidiary of French global airport retailer Lagardère Travel Retail.JLP—which operates 36 John Lewis department stores across the U.K.—had opened a flagship 36,000 square foot John Lewis store at Heathrow T2 when the terminal first opened in June 2014. However, the large unit struggled financially, possibly due to the format and lack of an appealing offer for international shoppers, and was eventually closed in mid-2020 along with seven other stores in the U.K. that were particularly impacted when the Covid pandemic hit.This time, the airport approach is more cautious. By partnering with LTR through a wholesale arrangement, JLP’s grocery arm is accessing a partner with strong experience in the airport channel, in both food and beverage (F&B) and retail.Waitrose products—chiefly food-to-go items including the brand’s premium No. 1 range—will initially launch in four of LTR’s Relay stores in T2 using dual fascia branding. Three of the stores will be airside (accessible to passengers only) and one landside (accessible to anyone), with all four due to open by the end of the year. Competitor M&S—another trusted U.K. supermarket favorite—already operates several stor...