Tesco unveils ‘mould breaking’ Watford supermarket
Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke has officially unveiled one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK, a revamped Tesco Extra in Watford that forms part of a £1bn refurbishment drive.
The first of a new breed of hypermarkets to incorporate the retailers recently acquired Giraffe restaurant chain the premises also now incorporates a Harris + Hoole coffee shop, a Euphorium bakery and a self-enclosed F&F clothing section.
It also incorporates a community room for yoga and music lessons as well as a greater focus on meat and fresh fruit and veg which now forms the centrepiece of the new layout.
This is a conscious effort to reposition the brand as a retail and leisure destination rather than just a supermarket chain.
Commenting on the new design Clarke said: “This is a very logical conclusion to the work we’ve been doing over the past 18 months. We’ve been listening to customers and they tell us they want a real experience. They want space to browse, places to eat, great food. And they want big stores to be more welcoming, less sterile, less harsh.
“We’ve broken the mould here and tried to set a new vision, which is more attractive and more compelling. All around the world, hypermarkets are facing a challenge. The hypermarket has to adapt to compete.”