Tesco analysis: Is Philip Clarke's £1bn turnaround plan working? But more striking than the facts is the visible shift in priorities in the store. When Tesco opened in the town in 1990, food was at the front of the store. However, within a decade, visitors were instead greeted by general merchandise such as clothing. Now, Clarke has put fruit and vegetables back at the forefront of Tesco. "In a store this tight, customers say 'I want food first,"" explains Clarke. Bishop's Stortford is one of a handful of Tesco stores where management are testing initiatives that will be rolled out to 25pc of UK stores this year. The most striking ideas include a new fish counter, cake stand and a health and beauty section with a deliberately pastel colour scheme and dedicated sports nutrition range. However, as noticeable as the more spacious and welcoming store layout - criticised in the past as too clinical - is the range of foods. Clarke points to a £1.89 pea and asparagus risotto as his favourite food from the dramatically expanded frozen range, but round the corner is Voss water for twice that price. Close to the Voss water are gourmet pizzas and hand-piped cupcakes. According to Clarke, this is another aspect of the Tesco back-to-basics revamp - give the customers what they want. Bishop's Stortford is a relatively upmarket commuter town, and the range of products reflects that. "In the past our range was about store size, now it's about store profile," Clarke explains. However, whether the strategy works remains to be seen. The UK management team, led by Clarke, is meeting every week to update on progress and has earned the nickname of "The Baldock Group," after the store in Hertfordshire where they held early meetings. In total, Tesco is running 150 different projects in stores and Clarke says: "We have a huge amount still to do." None the less, with half-year figures due to be published by Tesco on October 3, Clarke will be hoping the results of Tesco's new era are better than Liverpool's. "We will win a game before the end of the season," Clarke gloomily predicts of his football team. Shareholders will want Tesco to deliver sooner than that.