55-499: Booker Group Limited is a British wholesale distributor, and subsidiary of Tesco . In January 2017, it was announced that the British multinational supermarket retailer Tesco had agreed to purchase the company for £3.7 billion. It was confirmed on 5 March 2018 that Tesco had completed its acquisition of Booker Group Limited. The company was founded by George and Richard Booker in 1835, when they bought their first ship and established
110-480: A bomber calling himself "Sally" sent letter bombs to Tesco customers and demanded that Clubcards be modified to be capable of withdrawing money from cash machines. The company started to expand the range of products it sold during the 1960s to include household goods and clothing under the Delamare brand, and in 1974 opened its first petrol station. In 2001, Tesco became involved in internet grocery retailing in
165-666: A design consultant company. In May 2000, Booker was purchased by Iceland Supermarkets , via its Big Food Group vehicle. Then, in December 2004, Big Food Group was in turn bought by acquisitive Icelandic group, Baugur , which split Booker and Iceland again into different companies. In June 2007, Booker reversed into an AIM listed wholesaler of groceries Blueheath, to form Booker Group plc. Baugur sold all its assets in Booker Cash & Carry in June 2008, only weeks after its founder
220-541: A home shopping service through the Tesco.com website. In May 1984, in Gateshead , England, Mrs. Jane Snowball used a piece of computer technology called " Videotex " on her television to purchase groceries from her local Tesco shop in the world's first recorded online shopping transaction from the home. As of November 2006, Tesco was the only food retailer to make online shopping profitable. Since 2006 Tesco has operated
275-698: A much smaller range of non-food goods than Extra hypermarkets. The shops have always been branded as 'Tesco', but a new shop in Liverpool was the first to use the format brand 'Tesco Superstore' above the door. Tesco operates a number of in-shop cafes but also began to introduce new restaurants in its shops from 2013 under the "Decks Carvery" brand. Tesco Express shops are neighbourhood convenience shops averaging 200 square metres (2,200 sq ft), stocking mainly food with an emphasis on higher-margin products such as sweets, crisps, chocolate, biscuits, fizzy drinks, and processed food (due to small shop size, and
330-581: A number of dark stores dedicated to the fulfilment of online orders of groceries. Tesco launched its customer loyalty scheme, the Tesco Clubcard , in 1995. It has been cited as a pivotal development in Tesco's progress towards becoming the UK's largest supermarket chain and one that fundamentally changed the country's supermarket business. Tesco itself was cited in a Wall Street Journal article as using
385-545: A profit of £130 million for the 52 weeks to 24 February 2007, of which Tesco's share was £66 million. This move towards the financial sector diversified the Tesco brand and provides opportunities for growth outside of the retailing sector. On 28 July 2008, Tesco announced that it would buy out the Royal Bank of Scotland's 50% stake in the company for £950 million. F&F launched in 2001 as Florence & Fred in Tesco's UK and Ireland supermarkets. In 2010,
440-537: A scaled-down F&F on Tesco.com soon after its deal with Next. Tesco operates a mobile phone business across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It first launched in the UK in 2003 as a joint venture with O2 and operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using the network of O2 with the exceptions of Hungary where the network of Vodafone Hungary
495-529: A seven-inch model called Hudl . Tesco also purchased the restaurant and cafe chain Giraffe for £48.6 million. In 2015, Tesco confirmed the sale of its Blinkbox on-demand video service and its fixed-line telephone and broadband business to TalkTalk . In January, Tesco sold the Blinkbox Music streaming service to now-defunct Guvera , and confirmed it would close its Blinkbox Books service by
550-480: A small I.T. support company called The PC Guys in 2007, and were able to launch Tesco Tech Support in December 2008. In the 1960s, Tesco set up a non-food division, Tesco Home 'n' Wear, headed by Leslie Porter . It had stand-alone shops and departments in larger shops, and from 1975 a distribution centre in Milton Keynes . Although Tesco continued to stock non-food items the stand-alone shops were closed and
605-572: A stall at Well Street Market, Hackney , in the East End of London . The Tesco brand first appeared in 1924. The name came about after Jack Cohen bought a shipment of tea from Thomas Edward Stockwell . He made new labels using the initials of the supplier's name (TES), and the first two letters of his surname (CO), forming the word TESCO. After experimenting with his first permanent indoor market stall at Tooting in November 1930, Jack Cohen opened
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#1732775780514660-430: A year before Booker bought the rights back. In November 1996, Booker bought Nurdin & Peacock, taking ownership of the convenience store operator and brand Happy Shopper . Happy Shopper's products are sold by Booker to independent convenience stores and off licences. In 2000, the brand's logo of a smiling face with blonde hair was dropped from products and packaging, as part of a redesign by Partners In Communication,
715-601: Is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City , England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen in Hackney, London , in 1919. In 2011, it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in the world measured by revenues. It has shops in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It
770-549: Is the market leader of groceries in the UK (where it has a market share of around 28.4%). Tesco has expanded globally since the early 1990s, with operations in 11 other countries in the world. The company pulled out of the US in 2013, but as of 2018 continues to see growth elsewhere. Since the 1960s, Tesco has diversified into areas such as the retailing of books, clothing, electronics, furniture, toys, petrol, software, financial services , telecommunications and internet services. In
825-719: Is used and Ireland where Three Ireland is used. As a virtual operator, Tesco Mobile does not own or operate its own network infrastructure. By January 2011 Tesco announced it had over 2.5 million UK mobile customers. Tesco also operated a home telephone and broadband business. Its broadband service was launched in August 2004 to complement its existing internet service provider business, providing an ADSL -based service delivered via BT phone lines. In January 2015, Tesco sold its home telephone and broadband business, together with Blinkbox , to TalkTalk for around £5 million. Its customers were transferred by 2016. Tesco acquired
880-469: The Booker Prize . In 1986, the company set up a short-lived co-venture between the directors of Siriol Animation to create Kalisto. Kalisto also developed a show called Space Baby (which eventually became Fantastic Max ), along with another series called Satellite City (which was co-produced with Fairwater Films ) and the animated film The Little Engine That Could . Kalisto barely lasted
935-606: The Budgens , Londis , Euro Shopper , and Premier Stores brands which operate under franchises. In the United Kingdom Tesco offers financial services through Tesco Bank, formerly a 50:50 joint venture with The Royal Bank of Scotland . Products on offer include credit cards, loans, mortgages, savings accounts, and several types of insurance, including car, home, life, and travel. They are promoted by leaflets in Tesco's shops and through its website. The business made
990-815: The Hillards chain of 40 supermarkets in the North of England for £220 million. In 1994, the company took over the supermarket chain William Low after fighting off Sainsbury's for control of the Dundee -based firm, which operated 57 shops. This paved the way for Tesco to expand its presence in Scotland, in which its presence was weaker than in England. Tesco introduced a loyalty card , branded ' Clubcard ' in 1995, and later an Internet shopping service. In 1996
1045-488: The sugar industry in British Guiana and was so powerful that a common joke was to refer to the country as "Booker's Guiana". In 1952, Jock Campbell took over the chairmanship of the company and his Fabian social politics transformed it dramatically into a benevolent force providing major benefits for sugar workers. Jock Campbell was also instrumental in the setting up of Booker's Author Division, which sponsored
1100-654: The 1950s and 1960s, Tesco grew organically, and also through acquisitions, until it owned more than 800 shops. The company purchased 70 Williamson's shops (1957), 200 Harrow Stores outlets (1959), 212 Irwins shops (1960), 97 Charles Phillips shops (1964) and the Victor Value chain (1968) (sold to Bejam in 1986). Jack Cohen's business motto was "pile it high and sell it cheap", to which he added an internal motto of "YCDBSOYA" (You Can't Do Business Sitting On Your Arse) which he used to motivate his sales force. In May 1987, Tesco completed its hostile takeover of
1155-572: The 1990s, Tesco re-positioned itself from being a downmarket high-volume low-cost retailer, attempting to attract a range of social groups with its low-cost "Tesco Value" range (launched 1993 ) and premium "Tesco Finest" range. Tesco is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . Jack Cohen , the son of Jewish migrants from Poland, founded Tesco in 1919 when he began to sell war-surplus groceries from
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#17327757805141210-645: The Booker Line, which focused on shipping goods. It later diversified into the distribution of goods, and gradually disposed of its fleet of ships. With a new focus on wholesale food distribution, the company had over 100 warehouses across the United Kingdom by 1978, and was trading as Booker McConnell Ltd. Among other interests, it operated the sugar industry in Guyana ( British Guiana before independence in 1966), running five Booker Line ships, until it
1265-690: The One Stop brand. Some have Tesco Bank branded cash machines . The business has attracted some controversy, as the prices of groceries in these shops, often situated in more impoverished areas, can be higher than nearby Tesco branded shops, highlighted in The Times 22 March 2010: "Britain's biggest supermarket uses its chain of 639 One Stop convenience shops–which many customers do not realise it owns–to charge up to 14 per cent more for goods than it does in Tesco-branded shops." Tesco responded to
1320-629: The Safeway/BP partnership. In 2006, Tesco announced plans to move into the United States by opening a chain of small-format groceries in the Western states (Arizona, California, and Nevada) in 2007 named Fresh & Easy . Tesco would eventually pull out of the United States market in 2013, following performance issues. In 2010, Tesco started funding a small film studio intended to produce Tesco-exclusive direct-to-DVD films. The first film
1375-627: The Turkish supermarket chain Kipa . In January 2004, Tesco acquired Adminstore, owner of 45 Cullens, Europa, and Harts convenience shops, in and around London. In Thailand, Tesco Lotus was a joint venture of the Charoen Pokphand Group and Tesco, but facing criticism over the growth of hypermarkets CP Group sold its Tesco Lotus shares in 2003. In late 2005 Tesco acquired the 21 remaining Safeway / BP shops after Morrisons dissolved
1430-648: The UK's largest wholesaler. In April, the company confirmed it would sell its in-shop opticians' business to Vision Express . In June, Tesco announced a major cost-cutting initiative that would reduce the company's workforce by over 1,200 workers. Key reductions included over a quarter of its employees in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, and the closure of the call centre in Cardiff. The company hoped to reduce costs by £1.5 billion. In 2019, Tesco announced another cost-cutting initiative that would close
1485-571: The US when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks. In 2002, Tesco purchased 13 HIT hypermarkets in Poland. It also made a major move into the UK's convenience shop market with its purchase of T&S Stores, owner of 870 convenience shops in the One Stop, Dillons, and Day & Nite chains in the UK. In June 2003, Tesco purchased the C Two-Network in Japan. It also acquired a majority stake in
1540-574: The United Kingdom, through its different divisions. It operates cash and carry branches throughout the United Kingdom (as well as a few in India ) and operates a national delivery service in the United Kingdom. The industry journal The Grocer named Booker the "Green Wholesaler of the Year" at the Grocer Gold Awards. The group consists of several divisions each specialising in different areas of
1595-533: The article stating "It is a separate business within the Tesco Group, with its own supply chain and distribution network. One Stop shops offer a different range to Express shops and its operating costs are different. One Stop's price strategy is to match to its nearest competitor, Costcutter , and is frequently cheaper." Tesco completed its acquisition of the food wholesaler Booker in March 2018. Booker also owns
1650-399: The brand started to open stores in of itself starting with a London store. In the early to mid-2010s, it expanded to multiple countries stores and online. In the UK, F&F had its own website until 2016 when it was folded into Tesco Direct - which itself folded in August 2018. After this, F&F had no online UK presence until it partnered with Next PLC a year later. Tesco launched
1705-606: The brand would be retired as only 31% of customers were using the stores for larger shops. 89 locations converted to the Tesco Express format while the remaining 58 adopted the standard superstore format. Dobbies is a chain of garden centres across Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Tesco completed its acquisition of Dobbies in 2008, and the company continued to trade under its own brand, from its own head office in Melville, near Edinburgh . On 17 June 2016, Tesco sold
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1760-556: The company on to a group of investors led by Midlothian Capital Partners and Hattington Capital for £217 million. Musgrave Group Musgrave Group Ltd. is an Irish food wholesaler, founded in Cork by the Musgrave brothers, Thomas and Stuart in 1876. It is currently Ireland's largest grocery distributor, with operations in Ireland and Spain with estimated annual sales of over €4 billion. The current CEO (as of 2019)
1815-555: The copyrights of his friend Ian Fleming for £100,000. This purchase was the foundation of the Authors' Division, which also acquired rights to some well known authors' works, such as Georgette Heyer, whose company, Heron Enterprises, with eighteen of her copyrights, Booker bought in 1966 for £80,000, Dennis Wheatley , and the 64% stake in Agatha Christie 's works not controlled by her family. When, in 1968, Booker established
1870-430: The end of February. In 2016, Tesco confirmed it was seeking to sell Dobbies Garden Centres , Giraffe Restaurants , and Harris + Hoole to concentrate on its main supermarket business. In 2017, it was announced that Tesco had reached an agreement to merge with Britain's biggest wholesaler Booker Group . There were however concerns over market dominance with Tesco being Britain's largest food retailer and Booker being
1925-675: The first Tesco shop in September 1931 at 54 Watling Avenue, Burnt Oak , Edgware , Middlesex . Tesco was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1947 as Tesco Stores (Holdings) Limited. The first self-service shop opened in St Albans in 1948 (which remained operational until 2010 before relocating to larger premises on the same street, with a period as a Tesco Metro), and the first supermarket in Maldon in 1956. During
1980-627: The food counters in 90 stores, affecting around 9,000 workers. In October 2019, Tesco announced that CEO Dave Lewis would step down in 2020, and would be succeeded by Ken Murphy . In 2023, Tesco acquired all nine Shoprite shops on the Isle of Man from the Nicholson family who had built the chain up since 1972. As of April 2023, Tesco's UK shop portfolio was as follows: Tesco Extra shops are larger, mainly out-of-town hypermarkets that stock nearly all of Tesco's product ranges, although some are in
2035-609: The heart of town centres and inner-city locations. The largest shop in England by floor space is Tesco Extra in Walkden , with 17,230 square metres (185,500 sq ft) of floor space. In common with other towns, such as Warrington , the St Helens shop, which at 13,000 m (140,000 sq ft) is one of the biggest in England, was developed on the same site as the town's new rugby league stadium. Tesco Superstores are standard large supermarkets, stocking groceries and
2090-461: The independent Booker Prize Foundation in 2002, and became sponsored by the Man Group plc , who opted to retain the well known "Booker" name. Chairmen of the Authors' Division have included Charles William Tyrrell (1960s–1970s), Dennis H. Joss (1970s–1980s) and Agatha Christie 's grandson Mathew Caradoc Thomas Prichard (1990s–2000s). Tesco Tesco plc ( / ˈ t ɛ s . k oʊ / )
2145-1037: The intelligence from the Clubcard to thwart Wal-Mart's initiatives in the UK. Cardholders can collect one Clubcard point for every £1 (or one point for €1 in Ireland and Slovakia or 1 point for 1zł in Poland) they spend in a Tesco shop, or at Tesco.com, and 1 point per £2 on fuel (not in Slovakia). Customers can also collect points by paying with a Tesco Credit Card, or by using Tesco Mobile, Tesco Homephone, Tesco Broadband, selected Tesco Personal Finance products, or through Clubcard partners, E.ON and Avis . Each point equates to 1p in shops when redeemed, or up to four times that value when used with Clubcard deals (offers for holidays, day trips, etc.) Clubcard points (UK & IE) can also be converted to Avios and Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer miles. One Stop, which includes some of
2200-614: The merger was referred to the Office of Fair Trading it was cleared by the Competition Commission in April 2013. In May 2015, Booker Group confirmed it had reached an agreement with Musgrave Group to buy the Budgens and Londis grocery chains, for £40 million. In January 2017, Tesco announced that it had reached an agreement to merge with Booker Group for £3.7 billion, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. It
2255-638: The name was no longer in use when Tesco Extra was launched. In May 2005, Tesco announced a trial non-food only format near Manchester and Aberdeen , and the first shop opened in October 2005. The shops offered all of Tesco's ranges except food in warehouse-style units in retail parks. Tesco introduced the format as only 20% of its customers had access to a Tesco Extra, and the company was restricted in how many of its superstores it could convert into Extras and how quickly it could do so. Large units for non-food retailing are much more readily available. The format
Booker Group - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-406: The necessity to maximise revenue per square foot) alongside everyday essentials. They are located in busy city-centre districts, small shopping precincts in residential areas, small towns, and villages, and on Esso petrol station forecourts. In 2010 it became known that Tesco was operating Express pricing , charging more in its Express branches than in its other stores. A spokesperson said that this
2365-736: The number of Homeplus shops in the United Kingdom had reached 12; the newest shop opened in Chester in July 2009. In 2012 it was reported that Tesco was looking to close the business to focus on groceries. Tesco closed six Homeplus shops on 15 March 2015, and the remaining six shops closed on 27 June 2015. Tesco Metro shops were sized between Tesco superstores and Tesco Express shops, averaging 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft). They were mainly located in town centres and other urban locations and were designed to accommodate larger weekly shops as well as top-up shopping. In May 2021, Tesco announced
2420-521: The prestigious Booker Prize, it was with the money from the Fleming, Heyer and Christie purchases. In June 1998, Agatha Christie 's stakeholding was sold to Chorion for £10 million, who themselves sold it on in February 2012 to Acorn Media UK . The division also co founded and sponsored the prestigious Booker–McConnell Prize for literature in 1968, now known as Booker Prize . This was transferred to
2475-530: The purchase of the retail arm of Associated British Foods , which consisted of the Quinnsworth , Stewarts and Crazy Prices chains in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and associated businesses, for £640 million. The deal was approved by the European Commission on 6 May 1997. The company was the subject of a letter bomb campaign lasting five months from August 2000 to February 2001 as
2530-475: The smallest shops (smaller than a Tesco Express), was (until 2018, when the first Jack's store opened) the only Tesco shop format in the UK that did not include the word Tesco in its name. The brand, along with the original shops, formed part of the T&;S Stores business but, unlike many that were converted to Tesco Express, these kept their old name. Subsequently, other shops bought by Tesco have been converted to
2585-427: The southeast of the United Kingdom. In 1998, Tesco and Esso (part of ExxonMobil ) formed a business alliance that included several petrol filling stations on lease from Esso, with Tesco operating the attached shops under its Express format. In turn, Esso operates the forecourts and sells fuel via the Tesco shop. As of 2013, there were 200 joint Tesco Express/Esso sites in the UK. In the United Kingdom Tesco operates
2640-450: The typeface of the logo was changed to the current version with stripe reflections underneath, whilst the corporate font used for shop signage was changed from the familiar "typewriter" font that had been used since the 1970s. Overseas operations were introduced in the same year. Terry Leahy assumed the role of Chief Executive on 21 February 1997, the appointment having been announced on 21 November 1995. On 21 March 1997, Tesco announced
2695-553: The wholesale market in the United Kingdom: The company also founded, and was previously a sponsor of, the Booker Prize for literary fiction, which was established in 1968. During Lord Campbell of Eskan 's tenure as chairman of the company, then known as Booker–McConnell, he was also instrumental in the setting up of the Booker's Authors' Division. Lord Campbell of Eskan purchased 51 per cent of Glidrose Ltd, which owned
2750-495: Was "because of the difference in costs of running the smaller shops". Tesco first started selling petrol in 1974. Tesco sells 95, 97, and 99 RON (a fuel developed by Greenergy of which Tesco is a shareholder) petrol from forecourts at most Superstore and Extra locations. Tesco recently diversified into biofuels , offering petrol-bioethanol and diesel-biodiesel blends instead of pure petrol and diesel at its petrol stations, and now offering Greenergy 100% biodiesel at many shops in
2805-525: Was confirmed on 5 March 2018 that Tesco had completed its merger with Booker. Booker have been accused of forcing the closure of local businesses and shops through undercutting their prices in Tesco stores, the group's owner, while providing higher prices in their wholesale arm. Additionally, it has been accused of intentionally stopping deliveries of certain essential products to independent stores, in some cases reducing item selection by up to 30%. The company supplies approximately 1.5 million businesses across
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#17327757805142860-562: Was found guilty of accounting irregularities. Baugur collapsed in February 2009, amidst the Icelandic financial crisis . In September 2009, Booker opened a store in Mumbai and planned to expand its cash and carry stores across India. In May 2012, Metro Group sold the thirty stores of Makro in the United Kingdom and all operational assets to Booker Group Plc, in return for 9.99% of Booker's share capital, plus £15.8 million in cash; although
2915-560: Was nationalised around 1970. After six months, Booker was called back to market the sugar. Booker had a long history of exploitation of sugar workers through the indentured labour system during the 19th and 20th centuries (outright slavery was abolished in British Guiana before Booker's founding, but exploitative labour practices continued. All of the Booker brothers had claimed and received 'compensation' payments for their post 1815 Guiana slave holdings - see U.C.L. "Legacies of British Slave-ownership" index). At its peak, it controlled 75% of
2970-455: Was not Tesco's first non-food-only venture in the UK. Until the late 1990s/early 2000s there were several non-food Tesco shops around the country including Scarborough and Yate. Although not in a warehouse-style format, the shops were located on high streets and shopping centres and stocked similar items to Homeplus shops. In both cases, this was because another part of the shopping centre had a Tesco Superstore that stocked food items only. By 2014,
3025-483: Was released on 6 September called Paris Connections , based on a popular novel by Jackie Collins. In 2013, Tesco confirmed that it was pulling out of its US market (Fresh & Easy) stores in April, after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, at a reported cost of £1.2 billion. In September, Tesco announced that it would sell the business to Ronald Burkle 's Yucaipa Companies for an undisclosed amount. That same month, Tesco launched its first tablet computer ,
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