Waitrose takes on the world - Telegraph

When Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor opened their first shop in Acton Hill, West London, in 1904, they were simply aiming to be honest grocers, eschewing unscrupulous practices of the time, such as adding chalk to flour and fixing scales.

Waite, Rose & Taylor instead marketed itself on wholesome food, hygienic conditions and value for money. Some 106 years on, their creation, Waitrose, part of the John Lewis Partnership since 1937, is the darling of middle England and the envy of British food retailers.

In the first week of July, total sales grew by 13pc. That was buoyed by new store openings but even on the retail industry's preferred measure, like-for-like sales, the upswing was 7pc.