UK supermarket chain Waitrose is planning a sixfold increase in the number of stores that stock its food products, and is aiming to nearly double the number of outlets it operates within five years.

According to reports in The Sunday Telegraph, partnerships with Boots outlets, Shell filling stations and Welcome Break could take the UK retailer’s products into 1,000 more outlets.

Managing director Mark Price said: “There’s the potential to add 220 more Waitrose shops and probably 1,000 partner outlets, so if the economic models of all of them were to work, I think we could have up to 1,450 branches in five years’ time.”

He added the company is planning about 10 Waitrose supermarkets and 30 convenience outlets opening a year.

The retailer operates 231 Waitrose stores and its products are stocked in nine Welcome Break outlets, seven Boots stores and six Shell garages.

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