STAFF at Stourbridge's Waitrose supermarket raised their glasses this week to toast the store's 40th anniversary in the Ryemarket Shopping Centre.

There was a celebratory mood throughout Wednesday (July 1) in the shopping centre's flagship store where many of the staff have spent the majority of their working lives.

Manager David Harcourt has devoted 39 years going on 40 to working there - having joined as deputy manager; and customer service assistant Stephanie Hamblett is among long-serving members of staff, having worked at the store for 38 years.

Mr Harcourt said: "We all have different responsibilities but we're all partners and all on the same team - and we all share the profits.

"We have a lot of people here who have done 25 years plus, and a lot who have done ten or more years – so they must be happy in some ways."

The Market Street store, which employs 130 staff, has also donated around £100,000 to charities and good causes over the last eight to ten years through the company's community tokens scheme which gives shoppers chance to decide which causes they want to support.

There were also further celebrations today (Friday) at the store, part of Britain's largest employee-owned retailer - the John Lewis Partnership, as staff members marked Partnership Day, an annual celebration of employee-owned retail outlets.