In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2025, we look at the arrival of Tesco superstores in Ripon and Harrogate.

One took 22 years to happen; the other just a few months. But by the end of the year, Tesco had well and truly returned to the HG postcode.

The company opened superstores at Marshall Way in Ripon on November 20 and on Skipton Road in Harrogate on December 9. 

Harrogate and Ripon, for so long bereft of Tesco superstores, now has two within about 11 miles of each other, delighting some customers and leaving supermarket rivals feeling nervous.

The Harrogate saga dated back to 2002 when Tesco acquired the former gas works site at the junction of Skipton Road and Ripon Road. It subsequently felt at times as if the company were performing a retail version of the Hokey Cokey, putting one foot into committing to the project only to take it out again.

Planning permission for a store, petrol station and 209-space car park was finally secured in February 2023. 

Site work began in summer 2024 but halted when contractor ISG went into liquidation. ISG was replaced by KPS and revised plans were submitted in October 2024 for a greener store with solar panels, timber frames and cladding and a community garden, which was created by Harrogate gardening charity Horticap.

Roadworks to create a new access road and mini-roundabout began in autumn this year and, strangely, rush hour traffic on Ripon Road appeared to flow better than usual. New Park locals, however, weren’t impressed by the impact of long-term roadworks.

At 8am on a dark, filthy Tuesday morning, Harrogate mayor Councillor Chris Aldred cut a ribbon and said somewhat understatedly it had been a long time coming but the store was finally open.

A sign in the car park was the wrong way round and construction workers were still on site finishing off, but the car park was soon full and the place was buzzing. The extra wide bays are handy for motorists but also reduce space for parking, which can be difficult.

Booths becomes Tesco

It all seemed a lot smoother in Ripon, where Tesco refitted the Booths store in less than four months.

There was plenty of wailing initially at the loss of the upmarket Booths, whose closure was exclusively revealed by the Stray Ferret here. It perhaps wasn’t a coincidence that Booths’ demise was announced shortly after Marks & Spencer expanded its foodhall at St Michael’s Retail Park.

Booths served its last customer on July 20 and the transformation began.

Now that both superstores are open the question is: what impact will they have on shopping habits?

Sarah Johnson, retail expert and director of Flourish Retail, says Tesco’s size gives it a “clear advantage in pricing, promotions and perception”, adding:

Nearby Sainsbury’s and the out-of-town Morrisons, which is occasionally subject to complaints about empty shelves, could come under most pressure to up their games in Ripon.

In Harrogate, geography could be more of a factor. Most of the town’s supermarkets are on the south of the town and therefore, theoretically, less threatened by Tesco. But Aldi at Oak Beck Retail Park is almost in Tesco’s shadow and Co-op at Jennyfields is not much further away and residents are concerned.

A 2023 council report said there was "real potential for the proposed Tesco store to have a significant adverse impact upon the Co-op store and the wider performance of the Jennyfield local centre". The report estimated the cumulative impact on the Co-op could be a 22.4% decline in trade.

Tesco was asked sign an agreement to use "reasonable endeavours" to open a Tesco Express at Jennyfields local centre if the Co-op closes within five years of Tesco opening and to agree to operate it for at least five years.

Councillor Monika Slater, a Liberal Democrat whose Bilton Grange and New Park division on North Yorkshire Council includes all three northern supermarkets, said:

Britain’s biggest supermarket has parked its tanks on the HG postcode. Its impact is likely to be felt in 2026.