"Partners Make the Difference"
'Founded in 1904 by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor, Waitrose & Partners began as a small grocery, Waite, Rose & Taylor, in Acton, West London. In 1908, two years after David Taylor had left the business, the name 'Waitrose', from the remaining founders' names, was adopted. In 1937, the company, consisting of 10 shops and 160 employees, was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership. By the early 1970s there were 50 branches, some still small self service shops but more and more larger supermarkets. This led to the construction of a new distribution centre enabling the business to grow at a much faster rate. By 2004 the division had expanded to more than 200 shops. In 2019, the company decided to change their name with a unique twist. It's the fact that the business is owned by all the people who work at Waitrose - their partners. They're at the heart of everything they do, and their shared passion for good food is the anchor of their unique enterprise.'
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