If all Tesco’s supermarkets looked like the one in Bishop’s Stortford, boss Philip Clarke would surely be spared the nervous days running up to next week’s crucial set of trading results.
With reports from in-house brokers today suggesting the mighty Tesco oil tanker could finally be turning in the right direction, albeit only by the odd degree, Clarke led virtually his entire senior management team on a press tour of the Stortford store earlier this week.
“This is now up to the standard we want”, be beamed, casting around with pride at the spotless fresh food section, boasting fruit and veg to fresh it seemed to have been plucked joyfully from the earth just minutes earlier (and given a good scrub).
Doubtless the unfortunate store manager - who spent the trip escorting bemused customers around the strange men with notebooks - and his staff had been busy making sure everything was polished to within an inch of its life for the visit. They had done a good job.
From the newly launched frozen range, with hundreds of new items, to an artisan bread collection that would not look out of place in a Parisian bakery (well almost), to the immaculate and well-stocked wine aisle and the designer cupcakes, it was impressive stuff.
It marked the first time Clarke had felt confident to show off to the press the results of the £1bn he has thrown at the UK store turnaround. In evidence were retrained staff in their new uniforms, a store makeover ushering in warmer colours, lower shelves and - above all - a much greater emphasis on food.
Yet shoppers could walk into any number of other Tesco stores across the UK and have a very different experience.
In fact, visiting the Hertfordshire store in some ways served to highlight how far the retailers’ stores had gone downhill, with poor availability, unenthusiastic staff and confusing promotional clutter all too common a story. And in many places they still are.
Clarke will hope that next week signals the start of the comeback his shareholders expect. But if it’s not just about the numbers - and he’s serious about giving all his stores the Bishop’s Stortford treatment - it would represent a genuine transformation that would both re-engage Tesco’s customers and up the ante for its rivals.
If that store remains the exception, the turnaround will be rather less spectacular.
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