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Did you know that Tesco was one of the first supermarkets in the UK in 1929? If its founder Jack Cohen were alive today, he would be proud to see his efforts amount to over 4008 stores across England and the Republic of Ireland today. What started as a corner stall in the East end of London in 1919 has now grown into a giant retail chain with franchises as far as Europe and Asia.
Tesco has a variety of supermarkets based on size, product selection, and location. In Ireland, over 150 of these stores exist and most are based within communities. Now with the announcement of a new Tesco at Kingston’s Cross, the new mall between Kingston and Knocknacarra, the excitement is more than just about the Tesco deals we’ve come to love, but the whole package the business brings to the table.
If you know anything about Tesco’s history, you’ll know that the retail giant is bent on building communities and supporting local farmers. In Ireland so far, they are responsible for 45 000 jobs, both directly and indirectly. They support 490 Irish suppliers with 14 000 vested families, and they buy €1.6 billion worth of food and drink from them every year.
It’s therefore a no-brainer that the retailer has won the ‘Best Place to Work’ award for the fourth year in 2021, and the recognition of Ireland’s ‘Best Workplace for Women’ for three consecutive years.
Tesco has always placed great importance on gaining loyal customers and building stakeholder trust. Its purpose is to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. Their tagline, ‘Serving Ireland’s shoppers a little better every day’ is exactly the ethos they epitomise.
Let’s take a look at what else we are to expect from Tesco at Kingston’s Cross.
Suppliers
A supply chain is one of the most important parts of a large retailer’s business model, such as Tesco’s. Tesco Ireland sells all of its fresh beef, chicken, pork, and lamb as 100% Irish. While they may rely on current suppliers from the other stores, we are expecting them to also focus on local suppliers in the area around Kingston and Knocknacarra.
Wondering if you would make the cut as a supplier? When it comes to acquiring items from various parts of the world, Tesco has a list of priorities:
- Make use of expertise to provide a wider range of products at reasonable pricing.
As a supplier, your product must be of the standard they are looking for and well within their product cost range. They’ve been in the business for decades so they know what each product should cost them; keep that in mind when you make the consideration to be a supplier.
- To get more for less, use economies of scale.
This means they buy in great bulk. You may have to meet a certain quota that they are comfortable with – running out of product or supplier inefficiencies are not tolerable.
- Expand the company’s brand.
This means they are open to different products, things that they do not ordinarily stock or sell. It shows that they are innovative – just take a look at what they’ve done with Tesco Mobile. Who would have thought a food and drink giant would also dominate the telecoms sector!
Community
Tesco is big on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the areas it operates. The Tesco Community Fund has donated an excess of €5 million to more than 20 000 community groups nationwide. In addition, 6 million was raised by Tesco colleagues and customers to aid the Temple Street Children’s Health Foundation. We can only hope that the additional store will also mean more funds will be raised to assist the needy in Kingston and Knocknacarra.
Sustainability
Tesco has committed to a sustainable development plan that includes strategies to alleviate issues like hunger by minimising food wastage and redistributing any surplus from the business. Through their Little Helps Plan they have committed to source electricity from renewable resources, support employees, colleagues and customers alike to make healthier life and food choices, and to reduce their carbon footprint to zero by 2050.
It’s quite refreshing to know that we will have more than just groceries on shelves with Tesco. We look forward to having them in Kingston.
