This Tesco Express is no doubt a godsend to the thousands of students living around the Salisbury Road area of Cathays, perfectly located to give them a convenient alternative to the many smaller 'corner shops' dotted about.
A lot of the corner shops in Cathays have historically stocked a very limited range of non-premium brands at fairly expensive prices - knowing full well that most students don't have their own transport and aren't willing to walk a long way to do supermarket shops. Tesco Express, however, was probably a shock to their system - giving many local shopkeepers a bit of an incentive to lower their prices and really think about what their customers want. So while few people want to see Tesco push out local shops, it has probably made them offer a better and more competitive service.
This Tesco is inevitably very popular, not only with local student residents but also with workers in the area at lunchtimes, so it gets really heaving at times. It's often difficult to park outside, and inside the queues often snake right down the middle of the shop. read more