‘Fresh and inviting’ produce helps Morrisons Norwich win best supermarket in Norwich mystery shop

According to an old saying, Norwich has a church for every week of the year – but a pub for every day. And while its taverns have not escaped the closure crisis sweeping the UK, Norwich retains a reputation as a lively city thanks to its large student population and enduring independent spirit.

Indie shops, cafés and bookshops rub shoulders with a strong local arts scene in the city centre and Golden Triangle areas, while the likes of TGI Fridays, Odeon and Costa Coffee are all present and correct in the Riverside neighbourhood close to the rail station.

Read more:

• Aldi wins cheapest supermarket in Super Grocer 33 battle… by 38p

• How Morrisons Norwich keeps a fast-paced city store match-day ready and growing online

• What is The Grocer 33 and how does it work?

Also present there is this week’s Super Grocer 33 winner, the Norwich Morrisons in Albion Way. The 43,501 sq ft store claimed the retailer’s first win since March with 87 points, seeing off competition that included Aldi and Lidl as well as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose.

Our shopper described the store as “well stocked, clean and presentable”, with the “availability of items” its best feature. She particularly liked the salad bar, not to mention the “good” selection of items on the fresh counters and broader fresh produce area, which “always look fresh and inviting”. There was a little room for improvement on service, though, for while one picker was “obviously friendly” while “navigating around customers”, another gave our shopper “minimal help” and didn’t take her to the item she’d asked about

Six miles west, and well outside the city centre, Sainsbury’s on William Frost Way was second this week with 82 points. At 76,731 sq ft, this was the largest store this week and it delivered a perfect availability score.

It also scored best on customer service and features & services, and our shopper liked the “huge range” of products and services,including a café and sushi counter, plus a range of concessions. She also said the staff were “cheerful and made good eye contact”, praising one colleague who “was busy cleaning the front of the freezers” but was still “very polite” and “happy to show me where an item was”. But the store experience wasn’t quite as sharp.

Located on a retail park on the southern outskirts of the city, Aldi lost out on second by just one point – its availability score of 14 points perhaps proving the difference, with one out-of-stock and one item not stocked.

The best thing about the store was the staff: all were “really well presented, polite and friendly”.  Our shoppers also “particularly liked the promotional and seasonal aisles”, which were “well stocked, well presented and had a good range of products” 

He added there was nothing he particularly disliked about the store but noted that the plants on sale outside the entrance “appeared to be very uncared for”.

A 25-minute drive to its north lies the large Tesco on Blue Boar Lane, which took fourth place. With a perfect score for availability, it matched the feat on customer service, and our shopper praised the staff members she spoke to, who “helped me out brilliantly”.

Overall, she described this as a “great store with great choice” but pleaded for the return of fish and deli counters. “I would come here more if they brought them back,” she said.

Pushed into fifth place by just one point, Asda on Drayton High Road is located on a retail park to the northwest of the city centre, which also features a McDonald’s and High Altitude Trampoline Park. There was certainly a spring in Asda’s step on availability, with the 56,799 sq ft store earning a perfect 20. Our shopper also noted that the return of Asda’s Rollback prices has tempted him back to the store on occasion, as the offer “includes a high number of promotions my family are interested in”.

However, the store is “old and tired” and our shopper “disliked how busy and a little chaotic it was nearer to lunchtime”.

Equally far from the city centre, but to the southwest, Waitrose in Church Lane came sixth on 66 points, partly thanks to this week’s worst performance on availability.

Our shopper found the store “pleasant to shop in” with “welcoming, polite, attentive and helpful” staff who “make an extra effort”. However, she found “the cost of some items” off-putting and noted it was “not always easy to find” products.

Last place this week went to Lidl on Aylsham Road with 59 points, despite a good showing on availability with just one item not stocked. Our shopper found the store “modern and in good condition” but lamented the staff’s unhelpfulness and attitudes as “the worst part” of the shop. This was despite a catastrophic score on tills & checkouts, where our shopper waited around 10 minutes to be served, after which “there was no eye contact or welcome from the cashier… and “the service felt unfriendly, and there was no goodbye”.