Waitrose EDI Requirements and Compliance Guide

Q: How do I become EDI compliant with Waitrose?

To trade with Waitrose over EDI you need a setup that sends and receives the TRADACOMS messages Waitrose uses (ORDHDR, INVFIL), validation that catches errors before a message reaches Waitrose, and a connection to your ERP so orders are not re-keyed. Waitrose's EDI team confirms the exact specification and runs testing with you before go-live.

Waitrose's TRADACOMS order and invoice files, its testing steps, and the switch to EDI invoicing

Waitrose trades with suppliers in TRADACOMS. The messages to plan for are TRADACOMS ORDHDR (Order File), TRADACOMS INVFIL (Invoice File).

Waitrose, part of the John Lewis Partnership, exchanges orders and invoices with suppliers as TRADACOMS ORDHDR and INVFIL files over OpenText's Business Network. New suppliers get document format guides and an EDI questionnaire, test through a testbox, then send EDI and paper invoices in parallel before going live.

Waitrose's EDI Messages

These are the TRADACOMS messages Waitrose exchanges with suppliers. Where we have a guide, the card links to a segment-by-segment breakdown. New to the standards? Start with the EDIFACT guide or the TRADACOMS guide.

Waitrose-Specific Message Requirements

TRADACOMS ORDHDR (Order File): Waitrose sends purchase orders as TRADACOMS order files. Its document format guides set out the fields it uses.
TRADACOMS INVFIL (Invoice File): During the parallel phase each invoice goes twice: by EDI with test qualifiers and on paper. Once Waitrose signs off, paper stops.

Compliance Requirements

Here is what Waitrose expects from EDI-compliant suppliers:

Receive purchase orders as TRADACOMS ORDHDR files
Send invoices as TRADACOMS INVFIL files
Connect to OpenText Business Network
Complete Waitrose's EDI questionnaire and build to its document format guides
Run a parallel phase, sending EDI invoices with test qualifiers alongside paper copies
Move fully to EDI invoicing within the window Waitrose sets; ecosio's guide cites a maximum of three months, with a charge for paper invoices after that

How to Set Up EDI with Waitrose

Request the document format guides and EDI questionnaire from Waitrose and return the questionnaire.
Connect to OpenText Business Network.
Set up the test connection through a testbox and exchange test files.
Run the parallel phase, sending EDI invoices with test qualifiers alongside paper copies.
Go live and stop paper invoicing.

Sources for Waitrose's EDI Requirements

Waitrose issues its message specifications to suppliers during onboarding, so confirm the current version with Waitrose's EDI team before you build. These are the public sources this page draws on:

ecosio: Waitrose EDI, where to start: Third-party guide from EDI provider ecosio covering Waitrose's TRADACOMS files, onboarding steps and invoicing rules.

How to Achieve Waitrose EDI Compliance

Getting compliant with Waitrose takes three things: an EDI setup that sends and receives the TRADACOMS messages Waitrose uses, validation that catches errors before a message reaches Waitrose, and a connection to your ERP so orders flow through without re-keying.

UK grocery and health and beauty retail runs on two standards. UN/EDIFACT, usually in the GS1 EANCOM subset, is the international standard and the one GS1 recommends for new EDI users. TRADACOMS is the older UK-only standard. GS1 UK stopped supporting it in 2017, but many UK retailers still trade in it. Products are identified by GS1 barcodes, and pallets carry a GS1-128 logistics label with an SSCC that the despatch advice references.

OrderSync processes EDIFACT, EANCOM, and TRADACOMS orders in the same pipeline as your X12, PDF, CSV, and email orders. Our purchase order automation checks each order against your product catalogue, pricing, and Waitrose's requirements before it syncs to your ERP. To check a message by hand, paste it into the free EDIFACT inspector.

Only trading with one or two retailers and no ERP to connect? Web EDI, or an agent that runs it for you, may be enough to meet Waitrose's requirements.

Related Resources

EDI GuideTRADACOMS INVFIL: The UK Invoice File Explained EDI GuideTRADACOMS ORDHDR: The UK Order File Explained Industry GuideEDI for Cosmetics and Personal Care Industry GuideEDI for Pharmaceutical

How to Answer "Are You EDI Capable?"

A buyer asked, and you need to answer this week. The four things they are checking, what you can say yes to today, and a realistic date for the rest.

What a buyer is really asking when they ask this
The minimum set-up that makes the answer yes
What you can answer today versus what needs building
Rough timelines, so you can give a date rather than a maybe

One email with the download. Unsubscribe any time.

Check Your EDIFACT Messages

Paste an EDIFACT message into our free inspector and read it segment by segment before it goes to Waitrose.

Open EDIFACT Inspector

Trading with US customers in X12 as well? The EDI Inspector reads 850s, 856s and 810s.

Read the EDIFACT Guide View All EDI Guides Book My Intro Call

Frequently Asked Questions

Waitrose trades in TRADACOMS. The messages on this page are TRADACOMS ORDHDR (Order File), TRADACOMS INVFIL (Invoice File). Waitrose's EDI team issues the specification for each one during onboarding, and the version you are given is the one to build to.

The first cost is operational. A delivery that arrives without a matching despatch advice has to be receipted by hand, and an invoice that does not match the order gets queried before it is paid. Any charges for non-compliance are set in your supply agreement with Waitrose, so check the terms you signed.

Yes. OrderSync processes EDIFACT, EANCOM, and TRADACOMS orders alongside X12, PDF, CSV, and email orders, checking each one against your catalogue and pricing before it reaches your ERP. Book an intro call to walk through Waitrose's message set with us.

Waitrose expects suppliers to move to EDI invoicing, and ecosio's Waitrose guide says a charge applies to paper invoices received after the three-month changeover window. Check the current terms with Waitrose when you onboard.