Tesco has opened the doors to a new laboratory to demonstrate the power of the latest in-store technology and mobile phone apps to its suppliers.

The new facilities, located at its offices in Welwyn Garden City, feature several giant screens used to recreate store environments, as well as the latest line-up in gadgets.

It would be used to host demos of new technology and run masterclasses and workshops, Tesco said.

“Generally we want to get people excited about new tech,” said Jennie Saywell, culture and communications manager at Tesco Labs.

Recently, Tesco Labs, which is made up of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, designers and developers, ran a hackathon with start-ups to suggest new apps that could be used to help Tesco promote healthy food and lifestyles.

It has also conducted experiments on how new tech can be used to speed up the checkout process in supermarkets.