City Guide: Top 5 supermarkets to buy groceries in Thailand

If you’re visiting Thailand for an experienced period, or planning to buy or rent an apartment and call the country home, then you’re bound to run out of essentials from time to time. Fortunately, Thailand’s numerous supermarket store franchises provide everything you need, from kimchi to toilet paper. But if you’re not sure which chain best suits your shopping wants and needs, browse our list of some of the most popular supermarkets in the Land of Smiles.

Lotus’s (Previously known as Tesco Lotus)
After completing a takeover, Thailand’s largest agriculture company, Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), has removed the Tesco name and added an awkward apostrophe-S, rebranding itself as “Lotus’s”.

Lotus’s stores offer a reasonably diverse selection of goods, the majority of which are manufactured locally and are fairly priced. They also have a large number of smaller express outlets, Lotus Express, that sell a small selection of convenience items. They have a lot of shops around the country.

Lotus has over 2000 hypermarkets that can be found across the country. Although Tesco Lotus may not offer as many imported brands as some of the other stores on this list, it is still an affordable and well-rounded option for most customers and is usually the easiest to discover.

Big C
The supermarket belongs to Central Group, who took over all of the outlets originally owned by French retailer Carrefour, in 1993.

Big C is a major Thai supermarket that is more accurately defined as a commercial hypermarket with a shopping mall. It has a grocery area as well as a general merchandise section. Their products are reasonably priced for customers.

Most of their stores are located on the outskirts of the city, or in the suburbs, where most gated neighbourhoods are.

Tops Market
‘Tops’ is a grocery store chain that was founded in 1996, but it was rebranded in 2004. The business is now known as Tops Supermarkets and is solely operated by Central Food Retail, a division of Central Retail Group. Previously owned by the US-based Tops Markets under the brand name Food Lion.

Their larger stores, which are located in major shopping malls, feature a wide range of Western favourites. Their huge inventory and large number of outlets make them a fantastic everyday grocery alternative.

Tops branches offer a broader selection of items than Lotus, at least in terms of imported brands. It’s displayed alongside local items, creating a good mix of local and international products and creating a more diverse shopping experience.

Tops is a popular destination for many foreign visitors and expats looking for a more premium selection of imported goods, from cheese to chocolate.

Makro
Makro was established in 1988 and is a go-to for many who prefer to buy groceries in bulk, though at the cost of a limited selection.

SHV Group, a privately owned Dutch group, controls Siam Makro Public Company Limited and runs the Makro Cash and Carry business in Asia from its headquarters in Bangkok. Makro Cash & Carry now operates in six Asian nations and has 77 outlets in the region.

Purchasing food and other things in bulk can help you save a lot of money over time and cut down the number of times you have to go grocery shopping. Makro is the ideal place to buy bulk in Thailand but has also become the go-to weekly shopping trip for domestic buyers as well. Makro also has a large selection of electronic goods, kitchenware, cleaning and packaging products.

While looking around these supermarkets make sure to be on the lookout for certain ingredients so you can make Thai food you need to try.