The UK's Asian supermarket map: 438 shops by city

Oriental Store Directory UK lists 438 oriental and Asian supermarkets across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in 130 towns and 63 counties. Every figure on this page is calculated directly from those listings each time the site is rebuilt, so it always matches what you see on the store directory and the map.

By nation

England accounts for 84% of listings, but adjusted for population the picture changes: Scotland has the most Asian supermarkets per head, at 7.2 per million residents.

By city

London is in a league of its own with 79 stores, 18% of the national total. Manchester (15), Edinburgh (13) and Birmingham (12) follow. In all, 67 cities and towns have two or more stores, while 63 towns have a single Asian grocer, often the only one for miles.

Regional patterns

Outside England, shops cluster tightly around the biggest cities. Edinburgh and Glasgow together hold 62% of Scotland's 39 listings; Cardiff and Swansea account for 68% of the 19 in Wales; and Belfast has 64% of Northern Ireland's 11. For shoppers in the Highlands, mid Wales or rural Northern Ireland, that can mean a long round trip for fresh Asian produce, so it pays to check a store's hours and call ahead before you travel.

University towns punch well above their size. Cambridge has 10 stores and Oxford has 7 stores, more than many far larger cities, in line with their large international student populations. Big university cities such as Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds and Cardiff also have shops close to campus. Our student guide covers twelve of these cities in detail.

What counts? The directory focuses on grocery shops selling East and South-East Asian food: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malaysian and Indonesian. Many also stock South Asian, Middle Eastern or European products, and some are wholesalers that also serve the public. Restaurants and takeaways are not included.

By cuisine

Most shops are generalists. 195 stores (45%) are pan-Asian supermarkets selling food from several countries, and even the specialists usually stock a neighbour's staples. Chinese groceries are the most widely available, at 59% of stores, followed by Korean (29%) and Japanese (25%).

The chains

Independent shops still dominate, but a handful of chains now run several branches. Vietnamese importer Longdan is concentrated in London, while the Korean chains Seoul Plaza and Oseyo have branches in several university cities.

Opening hours

Of the 427 stores with full weekly hours on record, 89% open seven days a week and 92% open on Sundays. 108 stores stay open until 9pm or later on at least five days a week, useful if you shop after work or lectures.

Method and how to use this data

Journalists, researchers and bloggers are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page. Our Link to us page has a badge and suggested links, and you can browse every city or every cuisine for the underlying lists.