Tesco Cheltenham Steve Baker

Source: Stuart Key Photography Limited

Winner: Tesco Colletts Drive, Cheltenham

Manager: Steve Baker

Size: 60,000 sq ft

Opened: 1994

Market share: 20%

Nearest rivals: Waitrose - 0.7 miles, Sainsbury’s - 1.3 miles, Co-op - 1.0 miles, Lidl - 1.5 miles, Asda - 3.1 miles

Store data source: Analysis by CACI. Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000

How long have you worked for Tesco? I’ve been with the company 27 years. And I’m only 44. Tesco is in my blood though, my grandfather worked for the company for 40 years, having started as a driver and became a depot manager.

How do you pass that loyalty on to staff? I’m a great believer that personality is king. The most important thing is that staff take time out to communicate with customers, no matter how busy they are. It’s also important to recognise their good work. We are in the trenches together as a team and we have to remember that.

What are you doing at store level to reduce food waste? We waste as little as possible, from working every day with charities to redistribute surplus food to giving surplus produce to staff. The change in attitudes since I started - when our routine at the end of the day was to throw things away - is staggering.

Have you seen the results of Tesco’s food redistribution work? I don’t think many people realise just how dependent people are on food redistribution and food banks. A town like Cheltenham has all different types of families but it has people who really depend on this.

What do you make of Tesco’s new plant-based range and how has it gone down with shoppers? It’s literally just come in and I think it’s excellent. This is what people want. So many people are looking at living more on a plant-based diet for environmental and diet-based reasons and this is making it really part of our core range.

How important is the environment to your shoppers? I think it’s very important to them and they are very interested in the actions that Tesco is taking, in particular with plastic. Customers feel very strongly about the environment and I think they appreciate the things we are doing to help.