Tesco unveils new ‘shopping and leisure destination’ at Watford Extra store
Tesco has unveiled its new look Tesco Extra store in Watford following a huge renovation of the existing 80,000+ sq ft store.
Watford Extra is the first Tesco store to include the retailer’s new food concepts including Giraffe, Harris + Hoole, Euphorium and The Bakery Project all under one roof. The redevelopment of the store follows Tesco’s acquisition of the Giraffe restaurant chain in March and its investment in other food businesses as part of its strategy to develop the space in some of its larger stores.
Tesco said the new store has been built around its ‘Food First’ philosophy with a new fresh fruit and vegetable section and fresh counters.
The store also features some new concepts that are currently being trialled by Tesco, including a new-look general merchandise area focusing on Homeware and Cook and Dine, a community space that customers can use free of charge for events such as yoga, baby gym and cookery classes, and a new F&F concession with a boutique look and feel.
Other services include a nail bar in a revamped health & beauty department where customers can have beauty treatments from £5, as well as a pharmacy, opticians, and a new ‘Tesco Loves Baby’ area.
Chris Bush, Tesco UK managing director, said: “We’ve spoken a lot about our vision to create compelling retail destinations in our larger stores; places where customers come to spend time and meet their friends and family. Watford is the first store where many of our innovations and ideas have come together and it’s great to see it all under one roof.
“Watford represents a fundamental change in the way that people are doing their shopping. More and more of our customers are shopping for leisure; they want to browse for clothes, eat a meal or grab a cup of coffee, as well as do their weekly shop. It offers us a glimpse into what stores of the future might look like and we’re really excited to be sharing that with our customers.”
