Waitrose will be coming to the west of Andover as part of the refurbishment of a garage on Weyhill Road.

Plans submitted to Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) reveal that as part of refurbishment works to the Shell garage located on Weyhill Road, which will see the shop demolished and replaced, that Waitrose branding will be added to the store as it begins to stock the supermarket’s products.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed to the Advertiser that while the store would be operated by Shell, it will stock a variety of Waitrose food when it reopens in June.

The site on Weyhill Road is currently closed as it undergoes refurbishment. Plans approved by TVBC back in 2019 will see the shop demolished and rebuilt 5m away, to allow for extra parking spaces to be added. New electric car charging points will be installed, while the store itself will contain an accessible toilet and an internal ATM.

Two weeks ago, additional plans to allow the installation of Waitrose branding outside the shop were submitted, and are currently under consideration by the council. An illuminated ‘Little Waitrose’ sign will feature on the side of the building closest to Weyhill Road, as well as on the front of the shop.

As a result of the plan, Andover residents will be able to buy Waitrose food 24 hours a day. However, while the main Andover branch in town has shorter opening times, it will likely have a larger selection of goods.

A spokesperson for Waitrose told the Advertiser that the supermarket had a supply agreement in place with Shell to supply food to the store, but that it would not be operated by them. They said that their products will be available in three months time when the refurbishment works are complete.