July 2, 2015

In this blog, we take our first look at the locations of supermarkets in the UK. We've created a few images to help visualise the spread and any patterns that we initially spotted. 

This image highlights just how many supermarkets there are in the UK. Also as a note, this is only what we have deemed as the major and branded supermarkets.

A map of the UK showing locations of Aldi and Lidl supermarkets.

The above image displays the vast number of Aldi and Lidl stores that can be seen throughout the country. Both companies have grown considerably in presence and popularity in recent years.

Side-by-side maps of London showing the correspondence between wealth (right) and the location of Waitrose stores (left).

As you may notice, the spread of Waitrose stores in London is more heavily concentrated in the West of the city. It is a commonly held belief that Waitrose stores are located in areas with higher levels of disposable income. This is supported in the image above, the higher levels of affluence are located in the West and so are the Waitrose stores.

There will be more blogs to follow taking a further look into supermarket locations and regional variance in the coming weeks, so be sure to watch this space.

To read part 2 of this series, click here.