MICHAELWOOD Services station on the southbound side of the M5 has welcomed a new supermarket chain to the site, creating up to eight jobs in the move.

Motorway service operator, Welcome Break, has joined with Waitrose to open a new retail outlet at the Gloucestershire station just outside Berkeley between junctions 13 and 14.

The shop will be open 365 days a year, from 7am to 10pm and offer a choice of more than 1,800 products, including convenience foods such as sandwiches, snacks and drinks and a growing number of everyday groceries including milk, bread and eggs.

It will also sell dinner items like ready meals and prepared fresh fruit and vegetables, which have proved to be popular at existing Waitrose shops at Welcome Break sites.

All non-management employees at the shop will become partners, or co-owners, in the John Lewis Partnership, which owns the Waitrose chain.

This will entitle them to a say in how the business is run and a share in the retailer’s annual profits.

This year saw all existing employees receive 17 per cent of their annual wage in bonus.

Welcome Break chief executive Rod Mckie said: “The relationship between Welcome Break and Waitrose continues to go from strength to strength, and the store at our Michaelwood South services is just the latest in our on-going expansion plan, which is creating a total of 120 jobs across the country.

“There is already a store on the north side of the carriageway which has proved a real success, so we believe this new site will prove very popular with our visitors looking to pick up superior quality food as they head south.”

Waitrose Business to Business Director, David Morton, said: “Our partnership with Welcome Break has proved very successful so far, and we’ve received great feedback from our customers.

“This new store will offer visitors a wide range of delicious food products, whether they want something to eat immediately, or to save for later.”

It is one of six new Waitrose stores being opened at Welcome Break sites across the country over the next few months.

Welcome Break runs over 27 motorway service station sites across the UK and employs more than 4,500 staff.