A new chapter in John Barnes story

When walking up to the Waitrose food shop on Finchley Road, you become conscious that you are about to step into something special.

Unlike the modern concept supermarkets, Waitrose John Barnes is a shop lavished in history with a tale to tell.

It marked the birthplace of one of London's premiere department stores when it opened in 1900, seducing customers with some 50 different departments and has seen both Selfridges and Waitrose's sister company, the John Lewis Partnership, trade there.

So you could have been forgiven for raising an eyebrow when the supermarket announced plans to redevelop one of the capital's iconic retail outlets.

The much anticipated new-look Waitrose John Barnes opened at the end of last month and has been welcoming in local foodies to experience a totally different shopping experience - and it is just that.

It seamlessly blends the traditional with the contemporary in order to bring customers closer to the food.

Baskets of fresh produce, including aubergines and globe artichokes, are sprinkled around the fruit and vegetable department to create a market feel, while pictures of growers are clipped above to emphasise the provenance so importance to today's shopper.

There is a sense Waitrose is subtly educating its customers too.

A map of Europe highlighting the different wine regions accompanies the wine department and behind the meat counter you can make reference to where the cut of meat you are about to ask for is from.

The meat counter is something of a showpiece for the store.

Staffed by trained Waitrose experts, it offers a wide selection of the best cuts, including succulent Berkshire Free Range Pork, dry aged Aberdeen Angus beef, South West or Dorset breed lamb available seasonally.

Other highlights include new specialist fish, cheese and charcuterie counters, offering everything from clear conscience farmed caviar to cut-to-order organic cheeses.

More than 2,000 London customers' buying habits were researched over a period of two years, resulting in this new concept.

It is tailored to the shopping habits and culinary tastes of customers in the local community, creating an exciting, refreshed store design and enhanced product range - complete with some new and innovative additions.

This is no more evident than with the Time Of Day Counter.

In the morning you can select great smoothies, granola and yoghurt, muesli and fresh fruit, for lunch there's a choice of salads and freshly prepared sandwiches made to order and in the evening the counter will offer a wide choice of freshly prepared meals.

It's all to cater for the "easy cheating" phenomenon beloved of cosmopolitan shoppers - food that can be prepared quickly, tasting and looking as good as home cooked.

There are also new ranges of speciality and fresh farm foods, seasonally sourced to bring a breath of countryside to Finchley Road - and traceable back to the farmer.

Even the store's recipe cards have been revamped for the needs of the Finchley Road's fast foodies - shoppers who love to cook, but have limited time to spend in the kitchen.

The design features creative recipes from fresh ingredients that take no longer than 15 minutes to cook.

John Barnes has been determined by real customers in London.

They told Waitrose what products and services they wanted and the supermarket chain has delivered.

Aimed at making shopping easier, the new design has intelligent space planning, tailored product assortments, refreshed store ambience and contemporary equipment.

This store represents the continuous evolution of the Waitrose offer, and will be a test bed for new products and service concepts.

While this store is, as promised, a new experience, it has been careful to ensure it gives more than a nod to its illustrious past.

Waitrose has invested in retaining all the traditional features of the store's facia, including the flats above and the name John Barnes still resides above the door.

While it has not forgotten its beginnings, the history of John Barnes has truly embarked on yet another chapter.