Supermarket chain Tesco is set to become the final of the 'big four' grocery chains in the UK to remove fresh food counters in-store, following identical moves from Asda, Sainsbury's and Aldi.
The retailer was announced late in 2022 that it is to scrap the remaining butcher and fishmonger counters in 279 stores across the country as customers increasingly choose pre-packed items over fresh produce, a trend that has been accelerated following the cost-of-living crisis.
This latest cut follows the closure of 300 fresh counters and delis earlier in 2022 at Tesco stores nationwide, seeing previously fresh cuts of meat, pies or cheese being changed to pre-packaged offerings only.
Back at the end of 2021, a survey carried out by retail analytics company IGD found that less than 10 per cent of shoppers actually visited supermarket fresh food counters.