Tesco, the UK’s biggest retailer, is planning to open its first Tesco Express store in Shanghai next month as it looks to tap into convenience shopping in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The chain, which formed a joint venture with a local operator in China in 2004, already operates more than 50 hypermarkets on China’s east coast from Beijing to Shenzhen, and is planning to add smaller stores to its portfolio.