Tesco takes narrow win in Super 33 Folkestone battle

Numerous seaside towns in the south east are undergoing something of a renaissance in recent years, and Folkestone is no different. Harper’s Bazaar magazine recently wondered whether this “artistic hub” might be “Kent’s answer to St Ives”, and its cliffs, beaches and sweeping promenade certainly provide an attractive proposition.

The area known as The Creative Quarter is home to independent cafés, galleries, studios and boutiques, while the Harbour Arm has become a popular area for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. Add in high-speed trains to London in less than an hour, easy connections to Europe via the Channel Tunnel and far greater affordability than its flashier coastal neighbour, Brighton, and it’s easy to see why Folkestone is proving popular with commuters, creatives and young families – alongside long-term local residents who, refreshingly, have not been sidelined by the town’s resurgence.

This demographic mix is borne out in the town’s supermarket landscape, with all major retailers present and correct, making Folkestone a compact, ideal location for a Super 33 including the two discounters.

Nonetheless, it was the nation’s two biggest supermarkets that battled it out at the top this week, with Tesco nicking the win from Sainsbury’s by just one point. The victorious 40,533 sq ft Tesco on Cheriton High Street is located a little way outside Folkestone town centre. It posted one of two perfect scores on availability this week on its way to a total of 86.

Our shopper waxed lyrical about the “modern feel” of the store and “how easy it is to navigate”. She also liked the “polite and helpful” staff, especially the fact they were proactive in offering assistance just because “I had a confused look on my face”. She did find there were sometimes “too many picking trolleys in the aisle” but said they were not hugely obstructive, and staff were “apologetic when they were unintentionally in the way”.

About two miles east, and also outside the town centre on a retail park, Sainsbury’s on Park farm Road matched Tesco’s perfect availability, but fell agonisingly short overall. Our shopper enjoyed the “ease of parking”, the “large and attractive” clothing section and the fact “I could get everything on my list”. But she said that, despite it being spacious, the store “did not have the ‘wow factor’ when walking in”.

Just three points further back in third place was Waitrose on Prospect Road in the neighbouring town of Hythe, about four miles west of Folkestone. Our shopper praised a “nice shopping experience” in a “very clean and fresh store” that offers a very welcome “café and free coffee”. She singled out workers named Carrie and Tom for praise, as they were “both very friendly and helpful”, though those standards were not upheld by a third colleague who was “particularly unfriendly”.

Back in Folkestone, and Morrisons on Cheriton Road took fourth place this week with 69 points. Our shopper loved the “impactful” first impressions of this 24,691 sq ft store, particularly its Market Street area, which our shopper said “felt like walking down a street with diverse and high-quality market stalls”. Unfortunately, it was “very difficult indeed to find a member of staff on the shop floor”, which, allied with a “lack of proactive help”, was the worst thing about her visit.

Fifth place went to Asda on Bouverie Place, slap bang in the centre of Folkestone town. The 46,052 sq ft store performed well on availability, with just one item not stocked. Our shopper found most staff “friendly and attentive” but pointed out that pickers and their units were “splattered everywhere”, making manoeuvring through aisles “difficult”. Meanwhile, “some displays looked a little untidy and weren’t presented as attractively as they could have been”.

Just a three-minute walk away on Shellons Street is Lidl, which saw off rival and fellow discounter Aldi in the battle at the bottom this week. But that does not mean things went well here. Our shopper’s abiding memory of the store will be the “manky” trolleys, which were “disgusting and covered in rust and mould, which I didn’t want to put any food near”. There was also the lack of interaction at the checkouts, where our shopper felt “snubbed in my attempt at conversation” after trying out a trolley-based gag with the staff member.

A full 11 points back in last place, Aldi on Dymchurch Road back in Hythe posted this week’s worst performance on availability, although it was our smallest store at just 13,500 sq ft. Our shopper found the inside of the store was “clean” but “disliked all the litter by the entrance outside”. He also praised the “lovely” Wendy on the checkouts, who engaged in “a lovely chat about the hot weather, the high humidity and her upcoming holiday”. However, he was less impressed by one member of staff who stuck out for offering a curt “If it’s not there, it’s not there” response when asked for help locating items.