SUPERMARKET chain, Waitrose is heading north as it hunts for new products for its Scottish stores.

David Lincoln, branch manager for Waitrose in Scotland, will visit Uist on Thursday 18 March and Friday 19 March to meet with potential new suppliers such as Stag bakeries, Hebridean Smokehouse, Kallin Shellfish and Barratlantic.

The meet the buyer event has been organised by industry leadership organisation, Scotland Food & Drink, in conjunction with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as part of a project to make the Western Isles more accessible for business.

The Waitrose event is the first in a rolling programme of buyer visits to the area.

David Lincoln, branch manager for Waitrose said: “We’re always on the lookout for new and interesting suppliers for our stores in Scotland and across the business, to extend the existing range of around 300 Scottish lines.

“Sometimes they supply just two or three stores; sometimes they supply UK-wide. What we look for are high quality ingredients, where possible sourced within the local area or region, that are well presented and appropriately packaged.

“Innovative products are most likely to complement the existing Waitrose offer, so I’m very much looking forward to meeting companies in Uist to see what they can offer us.

Any suppliers or producer wanting to supply us should check out our Small Producers Charter. It can sometimes take a while before someone is ready to supply us: they need to meet specific quality standards, and be able to supply a supermarket operation, for example simple things like being able to produce bar codes on packaging.”

Paul McLaughlin, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink said: “Our meet the buyer programmes have been extremely successful and have resulted in a number of lucrative listings for small suppliers across Scotland. This is the first time we’ve arranged an event so far north but we’re confident it will be beneficial to both the local food and drink industry and Waitrose.”

For further information on the meet the buyer programme and how to get involved call Scotland Food & Drink on 0131 524 8640.