Whilst the overall grocery market has been subdued, Tesco continue to outperform in both sales and volume. This has allowed the business to significantly invest in product range and price as part of the 100 Years of Great Value celebrations.
Fresh food, bakery and dairy categories where particularly strong during the businesses birthday celebrations. Tesco have posted sales increases of 2.4% in prepped foods and 1.6% in dairy.
Dave Lewis, Chief Executive reports a "strong start to the year, growing ahead of the UK market on both volume and value. Our customer offer is more competitive than ever, with a wider choice of our 'Exclusively at Tesco' products now available in store, helping to drive more than 10% sales growth across the range"
Suppliers
Tesco report they are committed to long-term strategic relationships with their closest supplier partners, supporting investment and efficiency in the supply chain.
Dave Lewis, CEO states ‘Our relationships with suppliers are fundamental to the success of both our business and our implementation of the Little Helps Plan’.
As part of a focus with suppliers to be more aligned to the business, Tesco have announced a four-year partnership with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the average sized UK basket. This partnership will focus on helping customers eat more sustainable, restoring nature within food production and eliminating waste .
Jacks
In 2018, Tesco launched Jack’s in a bid to compete with Aldi and Lidl. This business model is being trialled by Tesco, with 9 stores in areas such as Cambridge and Lincolnshire. So far customer feedback as been positive with 92% of customers satisfied they found what they needed in store.
Products
The ‘helpful little swaps’ campaign in September 2018 increased sales by 17% year on year on certain items. This campaign encouraged customers towards more healthier products across their frozen and chilled ready meal range.
John Allen, non-executive chairman, states “This has been a significant year for Tesco – not just because of its historical importance, as we celebrate 100 years of great value – but also because of the strong position we have built in our ongoing turnaround. We enter the next chapter in our history with confidence in our plans, and with strong momentum".
You can see the full report here