Emma Bedford
Senior Team Lead Food & Agriculture
Tesco PLC - statistics & facts
Tesco PLC is the leading grocery retailer in the UK with a consistent share of over 27 percent of the market. Classed as one of the traditional 'big four' supermarkets along with Asda, Sainsbury's, and Morrisons, Tesco has kept its top spot despite fierce supermarket competition in the UK throughout the pandemic and periods of high inflation.
The retailer operates several different sized stores, with larger supermarkets or superstores that stock nearly all of Tesco's product ranges and a large range of non-food goods, to small convenience stores. The number of stores operated by Tesco has increased year on year, reaching over 4,270 stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland as of 2024.
If it continues to adapt to a changing market environment and consumer demands, Tesco looks set to remain the top spot for the weekly shop and one of the most valuable brands in the United Kingdom, alongside the likes of Shell, Ernst and Young, and PwC in years to come.
Retail diversification and stores
Originally founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen as a humble market stall, the group has expanded into other retail areas, such as books, clothing, electronics, and toys, as well as financial service and telecoms and internet service subsidiaries. Further product diversification in the nineties saw Tesco reposition itself from a low-cost retailer to one that appeals to many social groups by offering a range of own-label selections, from 'Everyday Value' items to its 'Tesco Finest' range.The retailer operates several different sized stores, with larger supermarkets or superstores that stock nearly all of Tesco's product ranges and a large range of non-food goods, to small convenience stores. The number of stores operated by Tesco has increased year on year, reaching over 4,270 stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland as of 2024.
The number one loyalty scheme
During a recent survey, the Tesco Clubcard was ranked as the most consumer-friendly loyalty program in the UK, with a near-perfect score of 99 out of a possible 100 points. In the 52 weeks ending February 2024, a total of 22 million households were active Clubcard users and almost 300 million coupons had been issued. Along with the possibility to collect points, Clubcard Prices were recently introduced, giving members lower prices than the average shopper on a large range of goods.Online expansion
Tesco has been a leader in technological adoption: it enabled the first ever recorded online shopping transaction from home in 1984 and, to this day, remains the leading online grocery retailer in the country and one of the leading online grocery retailers worldwide. Since 2014, the e-commerce net sales of Tesco have increased significantly and were forecast to reach over seven billion U.S. dollars in 2023.If it continues to adapt to a changing market environment and consumer demands, Tesco looks set to remain the top spot for the weekly shop and one of the most valuable brands in the United Kingdom, alongside the likes of Shell, Ernst and Young, and PwC in years to come.
