Introduction- Every little helps
The retail market in the UK is considered to be mature so it is unlikely to see large expansion like in the 1980s. Large retailers are likely to remain the dominant players while trying to increase their market share through mergers and acquisitions. Premium operators such as John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer continue their strong trading performance. In June 2005 the retail industry employed 2.9 million people. This equates to 11%, of the total UK workforce. UK retail sales were approximately £260 billion in 2005 (ONS). The sector is expected to see the creation of 270,000 new jobs in the years leading up to 2012, with 31% of these at managerial/professional level .
Tesco is one of the largest food retailers in the world, operating around 2,700 stores.
The group operates through multiple store formats, including Extra, Superstore,
Metro, Express and hypermarkets. The company operates in the UK, other European
countries and Asia.
Its stores stock roughly 40,000 food products. In addition, the group also sells nonfood
items including electrical goods, home entertainment, clothing, health and
beauty, stationery, kitchen utensils, soft furnishings and seasonal goods such as
barbecues and garden furniture in the summer. The group also markets products
under its own labels at three levels: value, normal and finest.
The group operates over 1,900 stores in the UK, its largest geographic market. Apart
from regular groceries, the UK stores also have gas stations. The group has become
one of UK's largest independent petrol retailers. Furthermore, the group has a joint
venture with Royal Bank of Scotland to provide personal finance (Tesco Personal
Finance) in the UK. It ...