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All I knew was that if you were seen with a Netto bag in a school in Doncaster you were beaten up. I had my bag for life at the ready for my first visit to a Netto this time round.

The black dog is back, but the new look Netto store is anything but depressing even on a cold January morning.

What does the new Netto have in store?

The entrance to the Doncaster Netto was flanked by two cheerful green and white striped awnings covering market stall style fruit and veg. These were eye-catching and got my shopping off to a good start. Once inside, there was plenty of space between the aisles and surprisingly high quality display units and shelving. Stack ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap was only half true- popular branded goods were competitively priced.

How much choice?

Without running dozens of lines of the same product there still seemed to be plenty of goods for a weekly shop. The choice of branded goods throughout the store was unexpected. This is not always the case in other discount outlets. We’re all used to the aisle of orphaned non-food goods and while this was evident in Netto it was displayed in a manor more akin to a high end supermarket and with one or two astonishing bargains.

Customer Experience

The stress of cashing up was lessened by having a decent sized area for this purpose. The staff were incredibly friendly and commented on the increased in customers most likely due to Lidl nearby being refurbished. The only thing that made this experience feel like one of a discounter was the bill. The quality of the food was certainly not sacrificed to price.

Netto was probably ahead of its time in its previous UK presence, but a recession later where discounters are attracting shoppers from all income groups it has announced its return with some very promising credentials.