This website is co-ordinated by organisations concerned about the market-distorting power of the major supermarkets. The information is intended for educational and public awareness purposes. The co-ordinating organisations  do so in their individual capacities and only in relation to their own particular areas of expertise, and are not responsible for materials produced and actions taken by other organisations.
The book " Tescopoly" by Andrew Simms has been written and published independently and is not endorsed by the Tescopoly Alliance. It should not be mistaken as an official publication of the Tescopoly Alliance and campaign. 
Supermarket news
New 'Tesco town' row as secret land deal revealed

The Scotsman, 1st September 2010

Supermarket giant Tesco has been forced to admit it used a local property company as cover to buy a shopping centre that was then allowed to fall into near dereliction to make way for a "Tesco Town" development...read more...

 
Tesco dirty tricks row: Retail giant accused of bulldozing through plans for big new stores

Daily Mail, 1st September 2010

Tesco has been accused of using its financial muscle and dirty tricks to win approval for a series of new stores...read more...

 
Eight NI supermarkets 'were uncompetitive
BBC, 17th August 2010

Northern Ireland supermarkets are to be given five years to end agreements with landowners which prevent rivals from setting up shop nearby...read more... 
 
Now a watchdog to help curb antics of bully supermarkets

Daily Mail, 3rd August 2010

The creation of a supermarket ombudsman is expected to be announced this morning in a bid to end the unfair treatment of farmers, suppliers and shoppers...read more...

 
Plea to help as London's small shops shut
BBC News, 28th July 2010

Four-in-five independent shops say the biggest threat they face is supermarkets About 7,000 small or independent shops closed in the capital in the past 10 years, according to a London Assembly report...read more...
 
Tesco focus on Asian foods will put us out of business, say World Tastes owners

Shetland Times, 23rd July 2010   

The owners of a Lerwick food shop fear they will be the first local business forced out by Tesco’s supermarket expansion. Najma and Asghar Ali have seen trade at their World Tastes specialist grocery shop plummet since last week when the retail giant began selling a range of exactly the same Asian products at a fraction of the price...read more...

 
Sustaining an ethical food chain

The Guardian, 14th July 2010

Anxiety over the march of deregulated markets has driven a forceful ethical movement, which must not be sacrificed...read more...

 
Tesco Urged to Make Lowball Bid For Carrefour Assets

Businessweek, 13th July 2010

Tesco Plc investors want the U.K.’s largest retailer to bid for Carrefour SA’s Southeast Asian supermarket assets. Just not at the indicated price...read more...

 
Tesco, dirty tricks, and the battle over a new store in rural Norfolk

The Independent, 10th July 2010

Campaigners fighting a decade-long battle against the arrival of a planned Tesco superstore claim they have been sabotaged by "dirty tricks" involving the fabrication of letters of support...read more...

 
Tesco declares war on Primark

The Sun, 10th July 

Tesco has declared war on discount fashion chains like Primark with plans to open clothes stores...read more... 

 
Tesco agrees sale and leaseback deal

The Independent, 8th July 2010

Tesco has raised more than £950m after agreeing a sale-and-leaseback deal for 41 of its stores...read more...

 
Tesco AGM: nearly half of shareholders fail to back boardroom pay policy
The Guardian, 2nd July 2010
 
Tesco has suffered the largest shareholder rebellion seen in the City this year, and the sixth biggest in the past decade...read more...
 
Tesco under fire from unions over its US performance
The Telegraph, 1st July 2010

Unions have attempted to embarrass Tesco with an open letter to Patrick Cescau, the retailer's senior non-executive, highlighting the poor performance of Fresh & Easy, the retailer's fledging US convenience chain...read more...
 
Every little helps (updated)

FT.com 30th June 2010 

It’s not every day a company the size of Tesco – the UK’s biggest retailer – gets taken to task over its accounting policies — but it happened on Wednesday...read more...

 
Tesco takes over Fresh & Easy suppliers

Financial Times, 21st June 2010

Tesco is taking over the US operations of two key suppliers to its fledgling Fresh & Easy business after its slower-than-expected expansion...read more... 

 
Tesco braced for revolt as investors call for boardroom pay to be slashed

The Guardian, 17th June 2010 

Tesco could face an investor revolt next month as a number of shareholder lobby groups line up to vote against the level of boardroom pay at the supermarket group...read more...

 
Cheerio then, Sir Terry – you're a hard act to follow

Independent on Sunday, 13th June 2010

Leahy made Tesco Britain's biggest grocer, but his successor may have to shrink it. And the group's new bank could be first for demerger, says Richard Northedge...read more...

 
Big four supermarkets tough it out in battle of the British aisles
The Observer, 13th June 2010

Food price inflation low and consumer confidence lower, supermarkets risk being drawn into a price war...read more...
 
Tesco in talks to buy South Korean chain Kim's Club Mart

The Telegraph, 11th June 2010

Tesco is in talks to buy South Korean supermarket chain Kim's Club Mart, as it seeks to become the biggest operator in its largest market outside the UK...read more...

 
Supermarkets don't regenerate communities – they hoover money out
The Guardian, 8th June 2010

These big stores destroy local economies, and hit the poorest especially hard...read more...
 
Tesco chief Sir Terry Leahy to retire
BBC news, 8th June 2010

Sir Terry Leahy earned £5.2m last year Tesco has announced that chief executive Sir Terry Leahy is to retire from the supermarket chain next March...read more... 
 
Every Little Helps: Tesco Building 'Towns'

Sky News, 26th May 2010

Tesco is helping to build homes as part of a unique tie-up with local councils...read more...

 
Editor-At-Large: Tesco – every little bit of brand promotion helps

Independent on Sunday, 23rd May 2010

Sir Terry Leahy says he wants the government to consider setting minimum prices for booze, and supports a ban on selling alcohol at less than the cost price. Why has our biggest retailer suddenly been stricken with a social conscience...read more...

 
Tesco loses to Sainsbury's in planning row

Daily Telegraph, 13th May 2010

In a case which could have an impact on councils across the country, the Supreme Court decided that Wolverhampton City Council was wrong to use compulsory purchase orders to buy Sainsbury’s land for a Tesco store...read more... 

 
FSB claims ‘weak’ planning laws are ‘killing’ the high street

Western Mail, 12th May 2010

Small -business leaders have called for an inquiry into planning polices in Wales to examine the impact of out-of- town supermarket developments on the high street...read more...

 
'This town has been sold to Tesco'

The Guardian, 5th May 2010

Imagine living in a Tesco house, sending your child to a Tesco school, swimming in a Tesco pool and, of course, shopping at the local Tesco superstore. According to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe), the government's adviser on architecture and design, this collective monopoly is not an imaginary dystopia. "Tesco Towns" on this model are already being planned across the UK, from Inverness in Scotland to Seaton in Devon...read more...

 
Tesco planning four ‘mini-villages’ complete with supermarkets

The Times, 26th April 2010

Tesco already provides everything you need to stock a home, from groceries to garden furniture. Now it is going to build the house as well...read more... 

 
Tesco to expand store portfolio at home and in China

Property Week, 23rd April 2010

Tesco is planning to develop more retail and leisure space in China over the next five years than it trades from in the UK currently...read more...

 
The Tesco - a new unit of measurement

The Times, 23rd April 2010

Tesco is minting it, suggest company results this week. In his regular column, Michael Blastland reveals a new measurement for an age of mega numbers: The Tesco...read more...
 

 
Tesco plans huge expansion of superstores

The times, 21st April 2010 

Tesco plans to open the equivalent of 80 superstores in Britain this year — more new shop space than its three biggest rivals combined...read more... 

 
Tesco profits helped by strong showing abroad

Sunday Telegraph, 17th April 2010
 
Tesco, the UK's biggest retailer, is expected to report annual profits of £3.38bn this week, up 8pc on last year...read more...

 
Tesco set to defy slump with record £3.2bn profits

Evening Standard, 16th April 2010

Tesco made record profits equivalent to about £150 for every family in Britain despite falling living standards in the recession, figures next week will show...read more...

 
Tories to fast track supermarket ombudsman

Food Manufacture.co.uk, 16th April 2010

Establishing a supermarket ombudsman “as quickly as possible” would be a top priority for a Conservative government, the Tories have revealed...read more... 

 
Tesco resurrects online VAT dodge despite Jersey's action to halt 'sham'

The Guardian, 13th April 2010

Tesco has quietly returned to a multimillion-pound Channel Islands tax dodge four years after the authorities in Jersey banished the supermarket group's VAT-free CD and DVD website from the island, accusing Britain's largest retailer of operating a "sham" selling structure that brought the Channel Islands into disrepute...read more...

 
Wal-Mart runs out of patience with Andy Bond
Daily Telegraph, 13th April 2010

Wal-Mart’s arrival in the UK in 1999 was billed as a “game-changer”. Price wars and mega mergers were predicted by those highly paid management consultants, who claimed that the US giant’s acquisition of Asda would change the UK high street forever...read more... 
 
Tesco’s secret chain charges customers more

The Times, 22nd March 2010

Tesco charges higher prices by stealth in areas where it faces less local competition — and regulators say they can do nothing about it, an investigation by The Times has found...read more...

 
Our future’s been outsourced

Building Design, 19th March 2010

News that Tesco is training Indian architects and quantity surveyors to work on its latest wave of supermarkets should, I suppose, come as no surprise. While there is nothing wrong with Indian architects (some of my best friends etc…), the reason the retail juggernaut is moving this way is to cut costs. Every little helps to land another Cabeco-approved blight on some unwilling market town hard-pressed to fight its corner... read more...

 
50% of towns have five supermarkets on their doorsteps

Daily Mail, 8th March 2010

Nearly half of all towns have at least five supermarkets within a ten-minute drive.  As small businesses struggle to stay afloat, figures obtained by the Mail reveal an alarming surge in the number of stores opening across the UK...read more... 

 
Out-of-town supermarkets face Tory curbs

Daily Telegraph, 22nd February 2010

Tory planning policies published on Monday would give local councils new powers to block major supermarket developments...read more...

 
Strange tale of the bank spy, Bond and a furious retailer

London Evening Standard, 22nd February 2010

A right rumpus has broken out between Asda and JPMorgan over the obtaining of information from a suppliers' meeting...read more... 

 
Tesco fined £74,000 for rodent infestation

East Anglia Daily Times, 22nd February 2010

Supermarket giant Tesco was today ordered to pay £74,015 in fines and court costs following a rodent infestation at one of its Suffolk stores...read more...

 
Tesco expected to launch property website within weeks

Daily Telegraph, 18th February 2010

The supermarket giant was forced to abandon plans to launch its online Tesco Property Market venture at the end of 2007 due to the current legislation governing estate agents and sold the business to estate agents Spicerhaart...read more... 

 
Tesco chief attacks plan for watchdog

Financial Times, 12th February 2010

The head of the UK's biggest supermarket chain has slammed government plans for a supermarket ombudsman, saying a watchdog would work in the interests of suppliers rather than consumers...read more...

 
'Systematic, cynical, aggressive': expert verdict on Tesco and Asda prices

The Guardian, 12th February 2010

Supermarket giants Tesco and Asda dramatically increased prices on key items in the runup to Christmas in what an independent expert has called "a systematic, cynical and aggressive attempt to exploit demand", a Guardian investigation can reveal...read more...

 
Conservative party to torpedo Tesco growth plans
Sunday Times, 7th February 2010

Tesco is facing a double blow from proposals by the Conservative party to shake up the planning system...read more...
 
Supermarkets face tougher suppliers' code of practice
 BBC News, 4th February 2010
 
A new code of practice has come into force which is intended to help farmers and food companies when they do business with the main supermarkets...read more...
 
 
Big supermarkets using 'bullyboy tactics', says farmers' union president
The Guardian, 3rd February 2010

The president of the National Farmers Union accused the big supermarkets today of "bullyboy tactics" by trying to renegotiate contracts and reduce prices...read more...
 
Tesco sets up film studio to adapt hit novels

The Observer, 24th January 2010

There is an unlikely new player in the British film industry with ambitions to change the world of entertainment. Tesco, the supermarket giant, has moved into movie mogul territory this weekend with the launch of a multi-million-pound production arm poised to make films of books by a slew of bestselling authors...read more...

 
US based retailer Target announces plans to move abroad
International Supermarket News.com, 22nd January 2010

The US based discount retailer Target, which competes with Wal-Mart, has announced it is considering expanding into Canada, Mexico or South America over the next three to five years...read more...
 
Government to set up supermarket Ombudsman

Farmers Guardian, 13th January 2010

The Government has announced that it will set up a supermarket ombudsman to protect suppliers from abuses of power by the big retailers...read more...

 
Wal-Mart, the US retailer taking over the world by stealth
The Guardian, 13th January 2010

It has beefed up its green credentials, but Wal-Mart's stance on unions and sheer global scale still provoke as much fear as admiration...read more...
 
The supermarkets must be brought to heel

Daily Telegraph, 7th January 2010

The cost-cutting zeal of the big chains is threatening our farmers' livelihoods, says Charlie Brooks...read more...

 
Will the Tories tackle supermarkets?

The Guardian, 5th January 2010

Regulatory failure has given supermarkets a stranglehold on grocery sales. Do the Tories have the guts to take them on?...read more...

 
Government planning policy fails local shops

 Talking Retail, 4th January 2010 

The government's new high streets planning policy will not protect local shops and promote town centres, according to the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS)...read more... 
 

 
Murdo Fraser calls for Scottish Government to hold supermarket study

Perthshire Advertiser, 1st January 2010

MSP Murdo Fraser has called for the Scottish Government to carry out supermarket impact studies...read more...

 
Tories to curb supermarkets that force suppliers to cut prices

The Times, 4th January 2010

The powers of supermarkets that force suppliers to cut their prices will be curbed by a future Conservative government...read more...

 
Local retailers attack planning overhaul
The Times, 30th December 2009

A significant overhaul of the planning system intended to protect town centres and independent retailers from out-of-town supermarkets was attacked last night as a sop to the big grocers...read more...
 
Asda to review Savills contract

Daily Telegraph, 16 December 2009

Savills has become involved in an unusual squabble with Asda that could see the property agent lose its contracts to work with the supermarket...read more... 

 
It’s all about tackling telecoms ‘the Tesco way’
The Times, 14th December 2009

Most companies would blanch at entering Britain’s cut-throat, over-populated communications market. But not Tesco...read more...
 
Tesco to open customer-free 'dark stores'

Daily Telegraph, 6th December 2009

Supermarket giant Tesco is opening a network of 'dark stores' which will never be visited by shoppers...read more... 

 
Tesco fightback campaign lures shoppers away from rivals

The Guardian, 6th December 2009

Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco, is expected to report like-for-like sales growth of 3% in its latest trading update on Tuesday and tell investors that it is continuing to lure shoppers from rivals...read more...

 
Tesco ‘plans massive superstore surge’ before proposed restrictions
The Times, 4th December 2009

Tesco is planning scores of new supermarkets across Britain before a proposed clampdown that would restrict its ability to expand...read more... 
 
Every little helps ... but a lot helps even more
The Times, 4th December 2009

The idea that Tesco was turning its focus away from Britain was never very convincing...read more... 
 
Supermarket’s plea to Mandelson

The Observer, 29th November 2009

Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have held 13 meetings with Lord Mandelson and his department to halt plans to regulate their deals with suppliers...read more...

 
Tesco policy on plastic is fantastic, says university (after bagging £25 million)

The Times, 27th November 2009

A university that accepted £25 million from Tesco has published a report with misleading figures to endorse the supermarket’s policy of giving away billions of single-use carrier bags...read more..

 
Tesco 'to use Clubcard for credit rating'

Compareandsave.com, 23 November 2009

Credit scores may be determined by shopping habits. Tesco may be planning to use customers' shopping habits as a tool to determine whether they are credit-worthy or not...read more...

 
Phillip Blond: Conservatives should break up big supermarkets
Daily Telegraph, 26th November 2009

Phillip Blond, the head of the ResPublica think-tank, launched a broad attack on Tesco and other big supermarkets, suggesting they are too big and should be broken up...read more...
 
Tesco's ambitions laid bare

Morning Line,| 20th November 2009

Is there any corner of the market that Tesco isn’t seeking to conquer? And does it matter?...read more...

 
Dispatch from Sheringham

Financial Times, 20th November 2009

Just before it reaches its destination, the little railway line that runs north out of Norwich briefly catches sight of the North Sea. The day I travelled on it, a group of paragliding enthusiasts were out above the eroding cliffs. They seemed to be hovering, like kestrels, defying both a drab November Monday and – it appeared – the law of gravity...read more... 

 
Tony Blair in talks with Tesco over £1m deal as supermarket eyes Middle East

Mail on Sunday, 2nd November 2009

Tony Blair faced fresh questions over his role as Middle East envoy yesterday after it was claimed he had been in talks to help Tesco open stores in the region for a fee of £1million...read more... 

 
The fight is on to protect villages from supermarket domination

Daily Mail, 19th October 2009

The Duke of Edinburgh might have come out with some howlers in his time, but his latest pronouncement on the typical British village may not be far off the mark...read more... 

 
Are the days of the checkout worker numbered? Tesco pioneers first ever self-service only shop

Daily Mail, 22nd October 2009

Tesco sounded the death knell for checkout workers today after opening Britain's first entirely self-service shop...read more...

 
Editor-At-Large: Tesco calls its big sites 'towns'. I call them monopolies

The Independent, 18 October 2009

Brave new world or corporate toytown? Residents of east London have watched as large swathes of the area have been torn down to accommodate the 2012 Olympics...read more...

 
Tesco clears stock to make room for banks

The Grocer, 17th October 2009

Tesco is clearing the storerooms of some of its Extra stores to use as bank branches...read more...

 
Tesco racked up huge legal bill in competition test battle

The Guardian, 15th October 2009

Tesco ran up a legal bill of nearly £1.4m in its failed bid to overturn a Competition Commission recommendation to impose a new planning hurdle that restricts supermarkets from opening new stores...read more...

 
Asda slips up on banana price war

The Guardian, 12th October 2009 

Bananas down to 38p per kilo in Asda, 35p per kilo in Tesco this week. A supermarket price war over a fruit with as much comic potential as the banana ought to be funny. Asda has said that it will take the cost of slashing the retail price from its own margins and not pass the pain on down the supply chain, so surely consumers can only benefit as the big four rivals slug it out for market share. Except, of course, we know that's not how the script usually runs when UK supermarkets start price wars...read more...

 
UK supermarkets warned over banana price war

The Observer, 11th October 2009

As growers in the developing world go out of business, fears are growing for the stability of some small economies dependent on the crop...read more...

 
Small is beautiful - smaller supermarkets are the key to growth

The Retail Bulletin, 9th October 2009

The emergence of a significant number of new smaller-format grocery stores has succeeded in overhauling the UK marketplace in the past 12 months, introducing more competition than the sector has seen for many years...read more..

 
Supermarkets face planning test
BBC News, 2nd October 2009
 
The Competition Commission will press ahead with tougher planning hurdles to stop supermarkets dominating in a local area - but has revised its rules...read more...
 
 
Every little helps if you want to beat Tesco

The Independent, 1st October 2009

Armed with civic pride, determination and a large quantity of notepaper, the inhabitants of a small Yorkshire town have seen off Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco...read more...

 
Waitrose to open 300-strong network of convenience stores

The Guardian, 24th September 2009

Waitrose has unveiled plans for a huge network of convenience stores and a deal to sell Waitrose-branded food in hundreds of branches of Boots...read more... 

 
Tesco denies copying Next's clothes lines
Daily Telegraph, 21st September 2009

A legal row has erupted between Tesco and Next, two of the UK's largest retailers, over the sale of multiple lines of clothing that Next claims infringes its design rights...read more... 
 
Tesco and Co-op continue moves into financial services

Fresh Plaza, 14th September 2009

Insurance group Fortis and Tesco today formerly agreed their partnership to provide motor and household insurance in UK...read more...

 
Co-op accused of demanding 'unreasonable' terms from farmers
The Observer, 13 September 2009

The Co-op, which boasts about its ethical credentials, has been accused by farmers of making "unreasonable" demands and flexing its market muscle in the wake of its £1.6bn takeover of Somerfield....read more...
 
Retailers investing in mixed-use sports stadia face challenges

Retail Week, 4th September 2009

As development opportunities dry up, retailers are investing in mixed-use sports stadia. But, as Sara McCorquodale finds, getting such projects off the ground isn’t easy...read more...

 
Time for Tesco to change its tune on Unicef
Irish Times, 27th August 2009

Ali Hewson, Stephen Rea, Marian Finucane, Colin Farrell, Ryan Tubridy and rugby star Donncha O’Callaghan are on your side, who could possibly be against you? This is the question that must have Unicef Ireland’s staff and high-profile supporters scratching their heads in disbelief in recent weeks...read more...
 
Tesco found guilty of of using bogus statistics to convince town it needed a supermarket

Daily Mail, 26th August 2009

Tesco was rapped by ASA for claiming a 'comprehensive' poll found in favour of a new supermarket - compared to the eight per cent who actually wanted one Tesco has been found guilty of using bogus statistics in a bid to win public backing for its efforts to expand its supermarket empire...read more...

 
British plums left to rot as our stores buy cheap foreign imports

Daily Mail, 21st August 2009

Famers are being forced to let this year's bumper crops rot on the trees because supermarkets are buying cheap imports...read more... 

 
Brands fighting for shelf space now that Wal-Mart believes less is more
The Observer, 16 August 2009

Wal-Mart is having a good recession. The world's biggest retailer surprised Wall Street last week with robust quarterly profits but its success has come at a heavy price for suppliers, rooted as it is in a ruthless efficiency drive, dubbed Project Impact, that has sent out shock waves from its HQ in Bentonville, Arkansas...read more...
 
Tesco 'propping up' trading with £200m Clubcard promotion

Daily Telegraph, 14th August 2009

Tesco's decision to double Clubcard points follows a £150m relaunch of card in May. Tesco said yesterday that it planned to double shoppers' rewards from its Clubcard loyalty scheme from Monday, a move City analysts estimate will cost the supermarket group more than £200m...read more... 

 
Buy one, bin one free: How cynical supermarket offers make us throw away food by the ton

Daily Mail, 12th August 2009

The amount of food we waste in Britain is phenomenal. According to some studies, one third of all the produce bought by shoppers actually ends up in the bin. Every year, an estimated 4.1million tonnes of food is thrown away... read more... 

 
Tesco hides figures after missing target to reduce plastic bag usage
The Times, 4th August 2009

Britain’s biggest supermarket chain has published misleading figures giving the impression that it had met an industry target to halve the use of plastic bags...read more...
 
Supermarkets: where's the beef from?
The Guardian, 3rd August, 2009

The decision by major footwear companies to demand a moratorium from their leather suppliers shifts attention to the British supermarkets named in the Greenpeace report...read more...
 
Small shops protest over a new threat as changes to planning rules 'help big stores'

Daily Mail, 1st August 2009

The Government faces mounting pressure to scrap changes to planning rules that retailers fear will turn High Streets into ghost towns full of boarded-up shops...read more...

 
Tesco 'appalled' by forged letter of support for new store development
Daily Telegraph, 29th July 2009

Planners at Leeds City Council have launched an investigation after a letter of support for a controversial new Tesco store was discovered to be a fake...read more...
 
New rules 'threat to High Street'
BBC News, 25th July 2009

Traditional high streets could be put at risk from out-of-town shopping areas unless proposed changes to planning rules are scrapped, MPs have said...read more...
 
 
Tesco seeks to boost bank arm

Financial Times, 19th July 2009

Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, is considering seeking a separate credit rating for its financial services arm to give it more clout for its aggressive assault on banking...read more...

 
Tesco ready for new battle against planning curbs

The Times, 17th July 2009

The competition watchdog is to press ahead with its plan to stop the growth of “Tesco towns”, where one retail group dominates a local market...read more... 

 
Conservatives and retailers prepare battle lines for the future
The Times, 13th July 2009

Take a walk through the gothic halls of Westminster, the lobbies and the bars, and it looms over every MP and every conversation — enormous, dark and terrifying. The unavoidable prospect of a general election, almost certainly next year, is at the back, if not the front, of everyone’s mind...read more...
 
Tesco chief takes flak from unions and investors at fiery AGM

The Guardian, 3rd July 2009

Tesco came under fire from investors and union leaders at a fiery annual general meeting in Glasgow today, with changes to the retailer's share option scheme attracting one of the biggest protest votes the City has seen...read more...

 
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