Supermarkets and Grocery Shopping in Hexham

For a Northumberland market town, Hexham is unusually well served for the grocery shop. It has two supermarkets aimed at the big weekly haul, both discounters for value, a handy central convenience store and, on top of all that, a genuine wealth of independent food shops, a butcher, a baker, a fishmonger and delis, kept alive by the twice-weekly market. Between them they cover everything from a full trolley to a treat or a quick top-up. Here is a guide to grocery shopping in Hexham and what each option is best for.

Tesco Extra

The Tesco Extra on Tynedale Retail Park, just off Alemouth Road, is Hexham's largest supermarket and the natural home for a full weekly shop. As an Extra-format store it carries the complete range, from fresh food, bakery and groceries to household essentials, clothing and homeware, with a large car park on site and long opening hours through the week. It is a short distance from the town centre on the north side of Hexham.

Best for: Best for: the big weekly shop, with the widest range and plenty of parking.

Waitrose & Partners

Waitrose & Partners at Wentworth Park, close to Alemouth Road, gives the town a more premium option. It is known locally for the quality of its fresh food, including its cheese and fish counters, its produce and bakery, and its wine selection, alongside the essentials for a full shop. With free parking on site, it is the one for picking up something a bit special or doing a quieter weekly shop.

Best for: Best for: premium fresh food and a treat, with free parking.

Aldi

Aldi on the Haugh Lane Industrial Estate covers the value end, with a streamlined range of good-value groceries, fresh produce, meat and bakery items at low prices. Its well-known middle aisle of rotating Specialbuys, everything from cookware to garden tools, gives shoppers a reason to look in even when they are not doing a full food shop. There is parking on site, near the east side of town.

Best for: Best for: low-cost groceries and the Specialbuys middle aisle.

Lidl

Lidl on Alemouth Road, at Hexham Gate Retail Park, is the town's other discounter, with value-focused everyday groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and a popular in-store bakery, plus its rotating Middle of Lidl aisle of non-food Specials. Sitting close to the larger stores on the north side of town, it is handy for a lower-cost weekly shop or a top-up, with parking and a parcel locker on site.

Best for: Best for: good-value groceries, fresh bakery and the middle aisle.

Co-op Food

For a top-up close to the centre, the Co-op Food on West Street is the convenient choice. As a smaller convenience-format store it carries fresh food, chilled and frozen groceries, bakery items, everyday essentials and a food-to-go range, with long daily hours. It is well placed for anyone shopping on foot in town rather than driving out to the retail parks.

Best for: Best for: a quick, walkable top-up shop in the town centre.

The market and independent food shops

What really sets Hexham apart, though, is what the supermarkets do not have. The town holds its markets in and around the Market Place, where the general market and the farmers' market bring in stalls of local produce, and it keeps a fine run of independent food shops that many towns have lost. Cranstons Cattle Market is a traditional butcher and deli on Cattle Market, part of a Q Guild butchery trading since 1914, and is as well known for its hot sausage and bacon rolls as for its Northumbrian beef and lamb. Robson and Sons is a long-established family butcher, The Grateful Bread an artisan bakery, and Ridley's the town's fishmonger and game dealer.

Between the big stores and the independents, Hexham shoppers genuinely can choose. The supermarkets handle the bulk of the weekly shop and keep prices competitive, while the butcher, the baker, the fishmonger, the delis and the market let you fill in the good things around them. It is a healthier balance than most towns of its size manage, and it is worth using both.

Frequently asked questions

What supermarkets are there in Hexham? Hexham has a large Tesco Extra on Tynedale Retail Park and a Waitrose at Wentworth Park for the main shop, Aldi on the Haugh Lane Industrial Estate and Lidl at Hexham Gate for value, and a central Co-op Food on West Street for a convenient top-up.

What is the biggest supermarket in Hexham? The Tesco Extra on Tynedale Retail Park, off Alemouth Road, is Hexham's largest supermarket, with the full grocery range plus clothing and homeware, a large car park and a spot a short distance from the centre.

Is there a Waitrose in Hexham? Yes. There is a Waitrose & Partners at Wentworth Park, just off Alemouth Road, known locally for its fresh food, cheese and fish counters and wine, with free parking on site.

Know a Hexham food shop we should add? Get in touch.