Morrisons comes out on top in Lichfield and Tamworth supermarket battle

Eight miles apart, Lichfield and Tamworth, both in Staffordshire, are separated by a six-minute train journey along the West Coast Main Line. Residents benefit from strong commuter links to Birmingham and the broader Midlands, and the affluence that affords for many.

Lichfield is the wealthier of the two. It is the only place in Staffordshire to house two Michelin-starred restaurants, while Dam Street is lined with independent and boutique shops connecting the central Market Square to the imposing Gothic cathedral.

Tamworth is home to a Grade I listed castle overlooking the River Anker and while retail is spread out across the Ankerside Shopping Centre, Ventura Retail Park and a twice-weekly street market.

Traditional homeowners over-index most dramatically between the two, according to CACI, accounting for 13.2% of residents compared with 5.8% nationwide, characterised by settled owner-occupiers in semi-detached houses.

But the single largest segment is commuter-belt wealth, accounting for 14.8% of residents here, while the mature success cohort, defined as comfortable empty-nesters in large detached homes, also over-indexes (11.2% vs 7.2%).

But it’s not all leafy gardens for city commuters: hard-up households (10.7% vs 7.5%) and limited budgets (7.5% vs 5.2%) are also over-represented.

Between them there are a full roster of full-service supermarkets.

This week’s winner with 84 points was Morrisons, two miles to the south of Tamworth in the suburb of Wilnecote. First impressions matter, and this 39,466 sq ft store started strong with seasonal alcohol promotions “to grab your attention”. Our shopper also liked the support for Marie Curie and noticeboard “which gave me a feeling that Morrisons support the community”.

The toilets won praise for being “very clean” on a Friday evening and the positive experience continued with specialist counters and “very helpful and attentive” staff. Two not stocked items lost it points for availability, but on our end-of-day shop Morrisons also stood out as the only retailer with no out of stock items.

It was a tie for second place with 80 points apiece.

Towards Tamworth’s centre, Sainsbury’s 50,992 sq ft store felt “a little dated”, but what it lacked in fresh floor tiles it made up for in customer service. One member of staff took our shopper to the bakery section when they were searching for scones, and another pointed them towards the soft drinks. “They were both helpful, approachable, and attentive,” our shopper reported. La Vieille Ferme rosé wine, on a Nectar promotion, was out of stock.

A 20-minute drive up the A51, Tesco Extra on Church Street in Lichfield had an “spacious and airy” feel with appealing back to school displays at the entrance. A “very friendly” assistant scanned the shelf label to confirm the clotted cream was out of stock, while two team members helped to retrieve a new box of Corn Flakes from the top shelf. Navigating the 64,373 sq ft store, our shopper encountered some unattended restocking trolleys and some empty cardboard boxes and products in a few aisles, and noted that the only manned counter was the sushi concession.

To the south of the cathedral city, the 25,373 sq ft Waitrose in Darwin Park stood out for “exceptional” customer service. “The gentleman on fruit & veg went out of his way to help me find two items,” our shopper reported. “Normally I get given an aisle number or pointed to an area.”

The store was well presented, with lots of staff tidying up and replenishing. “This was a far better supermarket experience than normal,” our shopper emphasised. Product availability was a major let-down, with just six marks out of the possible 20 due to three out of stock and one not stocked items, resulting in a total of 73 and fourth position.

This week’s largest store, a 80,924 Asda came just one mark behind. Our shopper found it hard to find a member of staff, but when located “they made an effort” to help them find what they were looking for. Signs hanging from the ceiling were incorrect for at least two aisles, and the shop felt “in need of refurbishment.”