Tesco Town

Tesco Town is British slang for an area where one retailer has large market share.

The term Tesco Town comes from the name of the retailer Tesco, but is used to describe any area dominated by one particular retailer.

In October 2009 the Competition Commission passed its proposal for a "competition test" on to the Department for Communities and Local Government. The test would ban from adding more space in an area, which it says will improve choice for shoppers by making it easier for rival grocers to open.

Towns dominated by Tesco

Bicester

Bicester is one of the UK's best known Tesco-towns, operating six stores in a region with a population of 29,000. Featuring a Tesco superstore on the southern side of town, near the Bicester Village designer outlet, a Tesco Metro in the town centre and a further four Tesco Express stores around the general neighbourhood and community areas. At its peak, Tesco's market share in the town was 90%.

Following the opening of a large Sainsbury's in Bicester town centre in 2013, and the proposed extension of the Bicester Village outlet centre over the Tesco superstore site, Tesco is planning to re-locate and double the size of that store into a Tesco Extra, to better compete with Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's has indicated that when the new Tesco Extra opens, they will extend their own superstore to compete with Tesco.

Tesco

Tesco PLC is a British multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom. It is the third largest retailer in the world measured by profits and second-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues. It has stores in 12 countries across Asia and Europe and is the grocery market leader in the UK (where it has a market share of around 28.4%), Ireland, Hungary,Malaysia, and Thailand.

Tesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen as a group of market stalls. The Tesco name first appeared in 1924, after Cohen purchased a shipment of tea from T. E. Stockwell and combined those initials with the first two letters of his surname, and the first Tesco store opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Barnet. His business expanded rapidly, and by 1939 he had over 100 Tesco stores across the country.

Originally a UK grocery retailer, since the early 1990s Tesco has diversified geographically and into areas such as the retailing of books, clothing, electronics, furniture, toys, petrol and software; financial services; telecoms and internet services. The 1990s saw Tesco reposition itself; it moved from being a down-market high-volume low-cost retailer, to one which appeals across many social groups, by offering products ranging from its "Tesco Value" items (launched 1993) to its "Tesco Finest" range. This broadening of its appeal was successful, and saw the chain grow from 500 stores in the mid-1990s to 2,500 stores fifteen years later.

Tesco (disambiguation)

Tesco PLC is an international retailer with headquarters in the United Kingdom.

Tesco may also refer to: