‘Waitrose’ Car Park – to go free?

It appears that Waitrose will be taking over the car park area immediately behind the store – soon. We don’t know quite when but from recent Wiltshire Council budgetary data this appears to be very likely. This area is managed by Wiltshire Council but owned by Waitrose – or The John Lewis Partnership – who have confirmed that they are ‘in conversation with the Council about the management of the car park to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of our customers’.

No answer (yet) to other questions regarding whether this will become a ‘free’ car park although we understand that if it were it would be solely the area behind the Waitrose store, known as the ‘Hilliers Yard’ car park. The area known as ‘Polly Gardens’ is also owned by Waitrose but isn’t in the discussion for being taken back. Over the river, the George Lane car park area will stay under Wiltshire Council control and management.

If the Waitrose car park were to become free, in line with many other Waitrose store car parks elsewhere, how would this fit with the other Wiltshire Council controlled ‘paid’ car parks adjacent? This could have significant impact on the Council’s revenue from their controlled area(s). Also Wiltshire have announced that car park charge will be going up.

If the Waitrose car park were not to go free – why would they take it over? Income, yes, but at a cost (management, enforcement, machinery etc. and the overall area behind the store is relatively small). Maybe there is pressure on Waitrose from Tesco regarding share of Marlborough’s grocery market? Prior to the emergence of Tesco in Marlborough Waitrose almost had near monopoly. Now the car park outside Tesco on the Business Park is pretty full, at most times so taking back the car park behind the store and turning it free could be a strategic competitive move for Waitrose?

As yet all of this is conjecture and whether we will soon have the benefit of being able to park free – legally – outside either front or rear of the store hasn’t been announced yet – or maybe not even decided. We will have to wait, as we will regarding when.