Tesco has begun construction and fitting out of its new Express store in King Street in the centre of Twickenham.

The arrival of the Tesco in the former Cycle Republic store on a key site in the middle of the high street will increase footfall and is a vote of confidence in the area.

However, the new outlet will bring the number of Tesco stores within a three mile radius to 16.

At the same time, there are concerns that it will pull shoppers away from specialist independent shops in the area, including butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers, who are the heart and soul of the area.

Apart from the many Tesco outlets within a short distance, there are also an Iceland, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Co-op within a very short distance. Aldi and Lidl already have stores in the area and are looking for new sites.

Tesco lodged a planning application earlier this year which was then withdrawn and resubmitted to reflect some design changes.

A spokesperson for the store said: "We're always looking at the best opportunities to serve customers and we plan to open a new Express store on King Street in Twickenham this autumn."

Customers of the Tesco in George Street, Richmond, have criticised a sharp increase in prices of up to 15per cent, after it was rebranded from a Tesco Metro to a Tesco Express.

The supermarket said the decision to 'retire' the Tesco Metro brand and switch to Express reflects a change in how shoppers are using its stores, however this explanation has failed to convince customers.

The company argued that most people now use the George Street store for top-up shopping, where its policy is to charge higher prices, rather than for a full weekly shop.

Richmond town centre resident John Brown, who noticed the change after buying a bottle of wine, said: "One day a perfectly acceptable South African Pinotage was its usual price of £3.85. The next day, the same wine on the same shelf display was £4.30 at the till.

"I went back and checked the price display and it had gone up almost 12per cent overnight. The till cashier said it was now Tesco Express charges."

Mr Brown said: "A Hovis small multi seed loaf is now £1 in Tesco when it was cheaper as a Tesco Metro and it's only 85p in Sainsbury's.

"A pack of runner beans - already turning brown/black - were £1.25 but are now £1.65. They are 65p just half a mile down the road in Lidl and £1 in Waitrose just yards away from Tesco Express."

A Tesco spokesperson told Nub News: "Over the last few years, we have seen our customers' shopping habits change and we have taken the decision to re-brand all of our Metro stores to better reflect this.

"Our Metro format was originally designed for larger, weekly shops, but today nearly 70% of customers use them as convenience stores, buying food for that day so the majority of them will be rebranded as Express stores."