Waitrose Great Amwell petition

News and views on shopping in the county town.
Vincent Daloo
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Joined:Sat 30 May, 2015 11:43 am
Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by Vincent Daloo » Sat 30 May, 2015 11:57 am

Reading the many posts on the comments section of the online petition it does seem clear that most people are driven by a desire to keep waitrose in hertford.

In a similar vein to a comment previously, it would indeed be suprising to see a large number of hertford residents objecting to any new supermarket on the opposite side of ware, if there was no angle on a corresponding closure in hertford.

Waitrose is clearly unhappy with the custom it receives in hertford- the shop has been run down for many years - presumably due to lack of investment - one has to conclude that they are leaving hertford regardless.

Therefore the objections are quite childish in my opinion, and possibly motivated even by a jealouse fear that 'ware will have a waitrose, and hertford not'

Looking forward to a petition to allow ware residents to express their own support for waitrose - ware town centre is going from strength to strength these recent years, and bringing waitrose will enhance the town further - I don't believe it needs to worry.

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Steve
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Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by Steve » Sat 30 May, 2015 2:00 pm

Vincent Daloo wrote:Waitrose is clearly unhappy with the custom it receives in hertford
Waitrose is very happy with the custom. It's a busy store. Unfortunately the size and configuration of the retail unit is wholly unsuitable for a 21st century supermarket, hence the owner's desire to level the site and rebuild.
Vincent Daloo wrote:the shop has been run down for many years - presumably due to lack of investment
Waitrose have recently invested in a new customer service counter and tills. The John Lewis Click & Collect service is hugely popular with over 100 orders being collected daily - hence the new service counter.
Vincent Daloo wrote:Therefore the objections are quite childish in my opinion, and possibly motivated even by a jealouse fear that 'ware will have a waitrose, and hertford not'
Ware will not have a Waitrose. The proposed store is a mile and a half from Ware.

To the west of Hertford, Welwyn Garden City has a Waitrose. No jealousy there. Ware would be welcome to a Waitrose. I believe there was discussion some year ago about them being situated on the edge of town. No problem there. The objections are to an out of town store, regardless of who it operates under.
Vincent Daloo wrote:Looking forward to a petition to allow ware residents to express their own support for waitrose
There was one, albeit by residents of Great Amwell.

MultiDad
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Joined:Tue 10 Dec, 2013 9:58 am

Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by MultiDad » Tue 02 Jun, 2015 12:20 pm

I can't wait for the new Waitrose to open (although i do need to get out more) as we'll be able to do a full weeks shop there rather than the 'bits and bobs' we get from the Hertford town centre branch. the best thing for the hertford store would be a mini John Lewis with a click and collect section. or if not, just go for one of the discounters. However, if Waitrose were to wait perhaps 18 months, I'd bet a few bob on Sainsbury's closing their hertford branch as when i've been there on a saturday morning, it's been like a morgue (albeit a morgue that sells fruit and veg). with the move away from larger out of town supermarkets for the Tescos and Sainsburys of this world, only premium supermarkets will make good profits from those type of locations.

I also don't understand why Conservative councillosr are against the new Waitrose in Ware. surely the free market is the way to go? it always has been...

or perhaps the existing Waitrose could become a barber/estate agent/ nail bar/ coffee shop/ 'Italian style' eaterie...? as I'm fairly sure there is a shortage of these in Hertford.

I also enjoy Waitrose as it is the only supermarket where you will hear a mother shout ' Put the Papaya down, Orlando!' or a child ask, 'Daddy, does Lego have a ''T'' at the end like Merlot?'

codek2
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Joined:Tue 12 Nov, 2013 4:32 pm

Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by codek2 » Tue 02 Jun, 2015 1:53 pm

i dont think sainsburys will close. sure it's been an incredibly slow grower, and in the early days it was shockingly quiet, but now it can be almost like a normal supermarket at times. Obviously when waitrose go, then sainsburys will benefit the most too. they can see that.

I have no doubt waitrose will go. And it seems pretty likely we'll get an Aldi or Lidl, which will be no bad thing. We wont get any bircherly green redevlopment though.

Golden
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Joined:Sun 01 Dec, 2013 10:36 am

Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by Golden » Tue 02 Jun, 2015 2:02 pm

I believe the councillors are acting for the town rather than the party; shame their colleagues at district level went against national guidance and it would be good to know why - though VH are quite influential in Ware.

The Masked Woler
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Joined:Mon 11 May, 2015 10:21 am

Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by The Masked Woler » Wed 03 Jun, 2015 10:10 am

The Councillors are against it because of the effect their leaving will have on the town at a time they are trying to produce a plan to boost the centre, although much will depend on whether they can get a replacement. Also, as I recall, the Council have surrendered the car park to the owners so as to allow the redevelopment.
I agree with Steve the new store will not help Ware either, simply too far away.

There is a lot of posturing, Waitrose will go whatever, the redevelopment won't happen if Waitrose go etc. Who knows what their real stance is - we shall have to wait and see.

As for Sainsbury, we have had a huge increase in Supermarket capacity locally, you can't just produce new customers so just spread the current ones more thinly. Sainsbury in Ware are still yet to come. Maybe they are all banking on the massive house building under the District Plan.

(ps Ware High Street going from strength to strength - really? If you want your hair done or a coffee/takeaway maybe)

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Steve
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Re: Waitrose Great Amwell petition

Post by Steve » Sun 06 Sep, 2015 8:19 pm

The Waitrose Great Amwell planning application has been sent back to the development committee for reconsideration on 16th September.

This follows advice from lawyers working for the council that the decision made in March 2015 exposes the Council to a significant risk of a successful Judicial Review challenge.

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