A Soho Tesco has been given protected community status after it was saved from demolition following a campaign by local residents.
The Tesco Metro on Dean Street was handed Asset of Community Value (ACV) status by Westminster City Council, which offers additional protections against development.
The status applies to the supermarket building, not to the operator, Tesco.
It comes after councillors in October rejected plans to knock down the supermarket and an Art Deco building and replace them with an office block and retail units.
Recognising the supermarket as an Asset of Community Value means that if the property is up for sale, the local community group will be offered a chance to purchase it first.
The property will remain on the list of assets of community value for five years.
The status was awarded after being nominated by the Soho Society, which represents local residents.
Among reasons given for the special protection is that the shop is the only large supermarket within Soho, serving its approximately 3,000 residents, and many more visitors and workers.
Westminster City Council said the need to have a supermarket protected at the location was especially important because a third of residents in Soho live in social housing and are more vulnerable to the high cost of daily goods.
Councillor Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, said: "Local supermarkets are staples of daily life, and it is well known that there are fewer places in central London for grocery shopping.
"That is why I am pleased we can mark this supermarket in Soho as an asset to the community, acknowledging that it is serving local people by providing space for a wide range of affordable food."
