The growth of Waitrose, which aims to double annual sales in the next decade, poses a bigger threat to the future of independent delicatessens and farm shops than Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's, according to a report published this week. The Guardian

Until recently, Waitrose has limited its stores to the home counties around its Berkshire head office, but the retailer's new managing director, Mark Price, proposes an unprecedented expansion campaign. It plans a revamp of its existing 183 stores, taking them even further upmarket, and over the next 10 years it aims to double annual sales from £3.7bn to £8bn and open stores beyond its south-east heartland. Two branches opened in Edinburgh last year and more are planned in the north.

A survey for the Guild of Fine Foods, whose 618 members represent around 25% of the UK deli and farm shop sector, revealed that two-thirds of the store owners said they considered Waitrose to be more of a worry than any other retail chain, and three out of five store owners thought that Waitrose's programme of expansion was bad news.

The guild estimates that there are 1,748 and 485 farm shops.