The Tesco Harrogate store, which opened in December 2025, brings together lots of the retailer’s latest sustainability thinking – in one place.
It has placed a strong focus on using local materials, with the roof made in Yorkshire and UK-grown timber used in the façade construction. Reused stone repurposed from a local stone yard has also been used in the build.
Tesco has also installed the latest in low carbon technology, and the space is being used as a showcase for Tesco’s environmental strategy.
Tesco said achieving its climate ambitions “requires transformational change across our stores and distribution network”, and Tesco Harrogate has been designed with “sustainability at its heart”. It is part of the retailer’s work to becoming “carbon neutral” across its own operations by 2035.
Tesco Harrogate is also playing a “key role” in the new Pilot UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, according to the retailer.
The solar panels on the roof are expected to generate 20% of the store’s electricity demands.
The shopfloor has been made using materials including stone from Derbyshire quarries, while Tesco said the timber frame installed at the site emits 81% less carbon than steel during its construction.
Tesco Harrogate is the first store from the UK’s largest retailer to use low impact refrigerant gas across both heating and cooling the store, as well as in its fridges and freezers, while the building is on the site of an old gas works and the concrete was crushed and recycled to create the shop’s foundations.
As other retailers have done of late, Tesco has placed doors on the fridges and freezers to keep the cool air in, which it said reduces the amount of store heating required. And – similar to the Greggs concept store we highlighted on these pages last year – Tesco Harrogate will collect rainwater to help flush its toilets and conserve fresh water.
In addition, heat pump heating and cooling is used in-store, rather than a traditional gas boiler.
Tesco Harrogate is located on Skipton Road in the North Yorkshire town.
[image credits: Tesco]
