Tesco has confirmed one of the locations of its new stores as it begins work on its ambitious UK expansion plans. The British supermarket, which is already the largest in the country by number of stores, recently unveiled its growth strategy. It plans to deliver over 70 more Express stores before March 2027. This comes after the chain opened 60 new Express stores in the UK in 2025.
The growth includes the acquisition of former Amazon Fresh stores in London. There are five of these sites in total, located in Kensington High Street, Hounslow, Moorgate, Aldgate East and Wembley. These will all be converted into Tesco Express stores. As part of this expansion, Tesco has confirmed some of the locations it plans to open new stores, including one small community where there isn't yet any Tesco Express. The supermarket giant has now confirmed it will open a new store in Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, before March 2027.
A 2,422 sq ft retail unit with an associated service yard and car park of 46 spaces will be constructed after approval from councillors on Derry City and Strabane District Council's Planning Committee.
This will add to Tesco's 57 existing stores in Northern Ireland. However, it will be the first Tesco in West Tyrone. The town of Strabane sits on the western border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
It has been reported that this new store will create up to 40 jobs during construction. Once the store is operational, 20 full-time and part-time positions are expected to become available.
"As one of the UK's leading retailers, we support jobs and local economies up and down the UK, and as we grow our store network, we're delighted to have the opportunity to serve even more people, in even more communities," said Nick Johnson, Tesco Group property director.
"We are hugely excited about the year ahead and looking forward to meeting our customers where they are with great quality, exceptional value and brilliant customer service."
The places where Tesco has confirmed its plans to open new stores are:
Tesco is one of a slew of supermarkets planning ambitious expansions across the UK. Marks and Spencer, for example, has earmarked 500 locations where it wants to open food stores.
Meanwhile, Aldi has said it plans to open 40 new UK stores in 2026 as part of a massive £370m investment. This forms part of Aldi's £1.6billion two-year investment strategy unveiled last year, as the chain works towards its long-term target of 1,500 stores nationwide.
Lidl also plans to open new stores, with 19 locations confirmed. In fact, some of these new stores have already opened, much to the delight of locals who can shop at one of the country's cheapest supermarket chains.
