Waitrose Meanwood, Leeds

The arrival of a Waitrose in any location is normally sufficient for local dignitaries to claim that their town is, in some manner, a little bit special, but the food retailer’s decision to open a Food & Home format in this area must have had them dancing in the streets.

At 30,000 sq ft, this is a relatively modestly sized supermarket, but it packs a punch with cantilevered wooden canopies throughout, new look equipment and a cafe that knocks spots of almost anything you’re likely to find in central Leeds, let alone Meanwood.

It opened last week and on the second day of trading, a Friday, the aisles were busy and the cafe was packed, although not uncomfortably so. The real point about this store, however, is that it has a fair chunk of homewares as part of its offer, as the supermarket moves to challenge the general merchandise selection of its larger rivals. You wouldn’t come to the Meanwood store to buy a bed, but on the other hand if you want a Le Creuset casserole dish, for instance, then it’s here.

And the home offer has been cunningly integrated with the rest of the store, to the extent that the crockery from which you eat in the cafe is on sale in the homewares area. It’s a gentle introduction to John Lewis meets Waitrose homewares and was being raked over by shoppers.

Meanwood isn’t the city’s most affluent area, so the fact that this store was busy stands as proof that Waitrose’s fair pricing message isn’t falling on deaf ears.