Budget hotel chain Travelodge has partnered with upmarket supermarket group Waitrose to co-develop three properties in Aylesbury, Sidcup and Vauxhall.
The properties are part of wider plans for Travelodge to develop joint venture projects with supermarket groups in the UK, with the chain saying it is currently developing or in close negotiations “on a further 25 co-partnership development deals with a number of large supermarket companies”.
This strategy started with the announcement of a co-development between Travelodge and Aldi back in 2009 (see online news January 1, 2009), and the group says it has “accelerated it new openings programme by capitalising on the UK’s supermarkets expansion programme”.
Travelodge says that Asda alone is “looking for 250 new smaller supermarkets following the absorption of Netto”, while Sainsbury’s is aiming to open 100 new local convenience stores every year, and Tesco announced it would open 150 Express stores during 2010/2011.
In Aylesbury Travelodge and Waitrose are set to open an 81-room hotel and 37,000 square foot supermarket by the end of 2012, located next to the recently opened Aylesbury Theatre.
Meanwhile the partnership will develop an 84-room hotel and 10,000 square foot convenience store on Sidcup High Street, with an opening date scheduled for August 2012, and in Vauxhall a 154-room hotel and 6,000 square foot convenience store is set to open in November 2012 close to Vauxhall Station.
Travelodge says the co-developments work because of “the ease in which a hotel and ground-floor supermarket can be built”, and the relative ease of attracting finance for such projects.
For more information visit travelodge.co.uk, waitrose.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
