The trial store in Hertford may not address all of Tesco’s UK woes but it so goes a long way towards addressing many of the retailer’s perceived shortcomings.

Friday afternoon in Hertford and the weekend wind-down is already well underway as shoppers hit the stores to stock up. It’s 3pm and the car park at Tesco is at capacity. This is a superstore, so like many it’s in the middle of the town and cars are queuing to get in. Fortunately, there are ‘lollipop’ ladies and gentlemen bearing signs that read “Space here”.

With their help, the car is quickly parked, in spite of initial misgivings, and heading for the store, the cheerful “Hello” creates a feeling of warmth. That is probably the version of events that Tesco would like you to feel when visiting this store and in truth, it does feel better than a standard branch.

Now head inside and the wood clad atrium that precedes the entry into the store proper sets the tone for what is to follow. Wherever you look, the interior has been trimmed with wood, and some of it does come from trees. Run a finger along the trim on the chiller cabinets however and it’s apparent that the ‘wood’ is wood-look metal. Again, not much wrong with this as natural wood has a tendency to get damaged and does push up costs if used to the exclusion of everything else.

The real point is that this interior does feel ‘warmer’ and less clinical than a standard Tesco and if you need to spend a few moments longer when doing a big shop, there are worse places to do this. There has been much carping about a warmer, more friendly store environment and how this is not the answer and even one commentator on this website saying that the Hertford store is not “exactly revolutionary”. Neither does it have to be so. What’s required is a place that you will feel OK about shopping and that is what Hetrford is.

The other criticism is that it looks too much like Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s (not Asda) - take your pick. This is not a surprise and if anyone can point to a mass-market grocer that really is different and which works, then it would be interesting to hear about it. If Tesco can replicate the look and feel of Hertford, then the path to ‘recovery’ may be shorter than many seem to imagine today.