esco will build anywhere.
Just ask the residents of Gerrard's Cross, who are watching a 20,000 sq ft Tesco superstore materialising on top of the town's railway.
When it comes to gobbling space, Tesco leaves its rivals standing. In 2002, it stunned experts and the competition by buying T&S, a chain of 850 convenience stores across the country. The deal doubled the group's store count in the UK at a stroke.
"This was a really smart move by Tesco," observes Professor Paul Dobson of Loughborough University business school.
Tesco Metro store
Tesco stores of all types have been springing up across the UK
"The scale of it allowed them to capture quite an increase in market share, and they really caught the rest of the industry out."
But not everyone was impressed. The residents of Bicester in Oxfordshire had been happy enough with two Tesco stores in their small market town, but after Tesco bought T&S, they found themselves with six.
Local resident Jo Scott now feels trapped in what some are beginning to call Tescotown.
"I probably do 95% of my shopping at Tesco and that's only because I have no choice... even if I am popping out for a pint of milk or loaf of bread it will be to Tesco," she says.
For Tesco the determination to be everywhere has paid off. It now has an empire of nearly 1,800 stores, more than Asda and Sainsbury's put together.