Shopping

If there is one downside to living in the Bankside area, it is the lack of proper supermarkets. Due to land costs in central London, the ‘supermarkets’ within easy walking distances from Bankside are small.

The nearest supermarket to Bankside is the Marks and Spencer Simply Food (1) on Southwark Street just behind Bankside. However, international students should note that Marks and Spencer is a premium retailer which, unusually, only sells its own branded goods.

Of the Big Four British supermarket giants, only Tesco and Sainsbury’s have any stores with easy(ish) access from where we live.

Numbers correspond to the green markers on our Bankside area map (small version below – click here for the full version.)

View Supermarkets in a larger map

1. Marks and Spencer Simply Food, Southwark Street

Location: Behind Bankside House, 3 minute walk

Pros: convenience, quality, reasonable size sized store

Cons: price, no Kellogg’s cereal etc as only sell own-branded goods

2. Sainsbury’s Local, Borough High Street

Location: Borough High Street, 15 minute walk

Pros: price, value (good quality for prices)

Cons: very small – is a convenience store, not a supermarket

3. Tesco Express, Strand

Location: By Waterloo Bridge/Aldwych (near LSE – if you buy stuff here you can then walk back over Waterloo bridge and along the Southbank)

Pros: price, convenience (when returning from LSE)

Cons: tiny

4. Tesco Metro, Covent Garden

Location: Bedford Street, the other side of Covent Garden (only good when coming back from LSE)

Pros: price, size (for central London)

Cons: inconvenient location

5. Sainsbury’s Local, Holborn

Location: Opposite Holborn Station, at the top of Kingsway (only good when coming back from LSE)

Pros: price, size (for central London)

Cons: inconvenient location

6. Tesco, Old Kent Road

Location: Old Kent Road – take the number 8 bus from opposite the Sainsbury’s Local on Borough High Street (at marker 2 on the map above).

Pros: this is a real supermarket, with clothing, electrical sections etc

Cons: long way from Bankside

7. Costcutter, Southwark Station

Location: Opposite Southwark Station

Pros: open 24/7

Cons: overpriced, dreadful service, dirty