Waitrose Teignmouth was officially opened at 8am this morning by Anne Marie Morris, MP for Newton Abbot who joined opening branch manager Chris Reynard in welcoming the first customers.
Following a three-week fit out, the new branch in Lower Brook Street will be run by a team of around 130 Partners, including the former Co-op employees and 70 new members of staff. They have all become Partners in the John Lewis Partnership and as such, will be entitled to benefits including a say in how the business is run, leisure and learning subsidies and an annual bonus. This year, Partners received 15 per cent of their annual wage in bonus, the equivalent of approximately eight weeks wage, representing a significant re-distribution of profits back into the areas in which the supermarket trades.
The Rowcroft Hospice, Teignmouth RNLI Lifeboat and Alice Cross Community Centre are the first local causes to benefit from the branch's Community Matters 'green token' scheme. At the end of the month, £1,000 will be divided between the three charities according to the number of tokens received from customers. Customers can nominate different charities each month, resulting in a total of £12,000 donated each year.
Today the store also launches its Partner volunteering initiatives which will see 250 staff working hours a year donated to local projects and causes.
Anne Marie Morris said: "I'm confident that Waitrose will make a positive contribution to the local community here in Teignmouth. As well as providing a boost to the local economy, the Community Matters 'green token' scheme will play an invaluable role in helping out charities in our area."
