Tesco has long been my go-to supermarket, and I’ve always thought of my local branch as being pretty well-stocked. Turns out, it’s but a shadow of what the good people of Greater Manchester enjoy.
The country’s largest Tesco, in Walkden, is the UK’s biggest supermarket full stop – and one of the most sizeable in Europe.
Occupying an incredible 104,797 square feet, this Tesco is about the size of a Manhattan city block and twice as big as Bill Gates’s house.
Incidentally, that also leaves it eight times bigger than Manchester Cathedral, just 30 minutes to the east.
Technically a ‘hypermarket’, the store features many concessions, and more than a few features I’d never seen in any other Tesco.
Arriving at Tesco Walkden
Honestly, my first impressions were a bit… meh. The store didn’t look nearly as vast as my imagination had led me to believe. When you hear ‘the UK’s largest Tesco’, the mind conjures up images of a giant retail metropolis, possibly resembling the exterior of the Death Star (only with a big Clubcard sticker on it).
However, from the outside, the store looks pretty much like any other Tesco Extra. It’s obviously large, but it’s tough to get an idea of the scale of it – that is, until I walked inside.
The size of the place really does hit you immediately. The ceilings seem impossibly high, and I count close to 40 aisles of groceries alone (there are over 60 aisles in total).
It took me two minutes and six seconds to do the 187 steps to get from one end of the shop to the other. Yes, I really did count.
While you’ll notice a lot of your everyday Tesco favourites, many of these have been supersized.
The bakery, for example, is pretty extensive, offering all the classics from sweet treats to pastries and freshly baked bread. Considering I was visiting around lunchtime on a Friday, it was still really well stocked.
The fruit and veg section also occupies a ridiculous amount of space, right in the heart of the store, and the F&F clothing rails could be an entire shop in itself.
A lot of F&F staples you’ll find in other local branches are on offer, but I noticed an abundance of ‘XL’ sizes and larger variety packs that aren’t as easy to find.
F&F had a massive sale on too, and I was severely tempted by a navy zip-up, which was 50% off at just £11.
There are more than a few bargains to be found amongst the shelves, but I found the Home section to be particularly rich in cheap discounted trinkets.
A candlelight 3D bunny mug was a rather adorable purchase at £2, with some fitted sheets (£3), F&F tea towels (£2), and oven gloves (£2.50) also reduced to clear.
A beige ottoman (yes, this store even does furniture), down from £35 to £25 for Clubcard holders struck me as a pretty good price, with side tables, meal trays, and shelving all priced under £20, too.
In the wider store, a 32″ Sharp TV with 25% off for Clubcard customers (£139, down from £189) also stuck out, as well as the 40″ version below it with £30 off (£189, down from £219), and a Fly HoverVac 250 also with a third off at just £60.
What makes Tesco Walkden different
Now, the big question: what makes this big Tesco different from the rest?
Well, Tesco Walkden features a total of nine concessions (stores within stores, if you will) that include some you might expect (Tesco Mobile store, Tesco pharmacy, Tesco Café) and some you probably wouldn’t, like a Yo! Sushi counter, a Holland and Barrett, Vision Express, Max Spielman Photo Expert, Early Learning Centre and The Entertainer.
While I found the meal deal selection a little underwhelming, the reason for this immediately became apparent when I realised that this branch of Tesco literally has its own Greggs. Not just a counter, but an actual store. What a winner.
Tesco Walkden also has another unique offering: its ‘Bulk Buy’ section.
Reminding me of Costco, the Bulk Buys offer huge packs of all sorts of everyday essentials at an additional discount.
Some of the standouts here included eight rolls of ‘Plenty’ kitchen roll for just over a tenner, a 24 variety box of Seabrook crisps for £4.75, and what can only be described as a giant vat containing 10 litres of sunflower oil for £17.
While honourable mentions go to the XXXL Surf Mega box and 20 pack of Kinder Buenos, the two highlights had to be a huge 400g jar of Douwe Egbert’s coffee at £15, and 600 Tetley teabags at £12 per (giant) bag. Although, I’m strictly an Earl Grey man at heart.
Oh, and it also has an autonomous laundrette in the car park. That was a first for me, and I can definitely see the advantage of having a load on while you do your weekly food shop.
The store is clearly a hit with the locals, with one regular shopper telling me there’s actually a smaller branch closer to where she lives, but she prefers coming to Walkden, ‘for the bigger selection’.
‘Plus, it has a Greggs!’ she concluded, excitedly.
I mean, I get it.
What did I buy from the UK’s biggest Tesco?
Truth be told, not much.
Unfortunately, a sizeable commute by public transport hampered my ability to actually complete the big shop, as the last thing anyone needs is a whole chicken slowly defrosting next to them on the 1.41pm from Oxford Road.
However, I did make use of the Greggs to grab my lunch (including the obligatory vegan sausage roll), some delightful scented candles at £2, and a big tube of Pringles at £1.95 (Clubcard price).
And, yes, I also bought the bunny mug, but I swear that’s a gift.
How to get to Tesco Walkden
If you’re driving, the hypermarket has over 900 car parking spaces.
However, if you’re travelling by public transport, the store is just a 10 to 15-minute walk from Walkden Station. There are also a couple of bus stops practically right outside.
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