According to the retailer, Watford Extra 'showcases the very latest in retail innovation' and brings new food concepts including Tesco's Giraffe play café - acquired by Tesco in March - Harris + Hoole coffee chain, Euphorium bakery and the Bakery Project under the same roof for the first time.
Watford Extra features several new concepts, including a new-look general merchandising area, which is largely focused on cooking and dining products; a 60 ft community space that customers can use free of charge for events such as yoga or cookery classes and an update F + F clothing concession.
The store will also include a nail bar offering treatments from £5, Click & Collect, a health shop and a new 'Tesco Loves Baby' area. According to Tesco, the revamped store has been "built around our 'Food First' philosophy", with a new fresh fruit and veg section and fresh counters.
Commenting on the launch of the new store, Chris Bush, 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."
He continued, “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.”
The revamp of Watford and two other trial stores launching next week, Coventry and Purley, comes in a £1 billion bid from the retailer to make better use of excess space in its larger stores.
