I’m an extremely fortunate individual. I’ve had a succession of jobs where I actually get paid to walk around supermarkets.

In fairness, I’ve see some truly risible cesspits (a couple of the French retailers have some stores that can only be described as worst practice) but I’m pleased to reveal that most stores I visit are pretty decent.

Then you see about half a dozen each year that are truly magnificent and make you realise just how good a supermarket can be.

Three Jumbo outlets in the Netherlands have made this grade for me over the past year or two.

My current role means that I am frequently taking overseas retailers around stores in the Greater London area.

The outlets that have garnered the most positive feedback so far this year have been Tesco Extra in Hayes, Morrisons in Colindale and Tesco Queensway.

The smaller Tesco in Bayswater receives general plaudits for ranging and look and feel, while the larger store is lauded for its excellent world food offer and well-segmented layout.

This positive feedback supports Tesco’s recent assertions that the Extra format is regaining a bit of momentum and that they should be seen as an opportunity rather than an albatross.

What links the preceding two paragraphs is that Jumbo operations director Duncan Hoy is joining Tesco as managing director of larger stores.

This is an appointment that makes me really excited. The Jumbo Foodmarkt in Breda is undoubtedly one of the greatest food stores on earth. The one in Amsterdam ain’t bad either. Even a typical Jumbo supermarket anywhere in the Netherlands is a source of pleasure.

Jumbo outlets have enough sexy food porn stuff (counters, produce, bakery) to keep the typical gastronome happy.

They also have an incredibly impactful way of promoting special offers that keeps the bargain-hungry shopper smiling too. This is against a backdrop of an everyday low pricing proposition matched with good availability and sterling housekeeping.

Now, turning the Extras into Foodmarkts would be prohibitively expensive, and would also frighten the horses a bit in terms of alienating value-driven shoppers (as we’ve seen with certain misty veg-based endeavours in the past).

But introducing aspects of Jumbo, and hints of Foodmarkt, into Tesco’s larger stores would be no bad thing.

Recent refurbs and replacement stores (Bicester is well worth a visit) suggest that Tesco is heading in the right direction when it comes to reinventing the bigger box.

Stern critics might, however, suggest that Tesco’s food and drink proposition is still a bit clinical, a bit soulless.

What Hoy can bring from Jumbo is a bit more soul – the food porn bells and whistles – while reassuring punters they’re not being ripped off.

Will be interesting to see what impact he has. I’ll be positive regardless, because Mr Hoy used to be a captain in the Gurkhas, whereas I’m a tubby weakling.

  • Bryan Roberts is global insight director of TCC Global