TESCO Tesco PLC is a multinational grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom. It is the third largest retailer in the world measured by profits and second-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues. It has stores in 12 countries across Asia, Europe and North America and is the grocery market leader in the UK (where it has a market share of around 30%), the Republic of Ireland,Malaysia, and Thailand. Tesco is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It had a market capitalisation of approximately £20.5 billion as of 4 August 2014, the 28th-largest of any company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange.

HISTORY Jack Cohen, the son of Jewish emigrants from Poland, founded Tesco in 1919 when he began to sell surplus groceries from 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 first three letters of the supplier's name (TES), and the first two letters of his surname (CO), forming the word TESCO. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, Middlesex.  The company was the subject of a letter bomb campaign lasting five months from August 2000 to February 2001 as a bomber calling himself "Sally" sent letter bombs to Tesco customers and demanded Clubcards modified to withdraw money from cash machines.

In 2011, Tesco launched a range of Tesco Venture Brands Although profits were £1.9 billion for the first half of 2011, sales growth in the UK was the lowest in 20 years, partly due to shoppers switching to budget rivals. In April 2012, Tesco re-launched its own brand value range as 'Tesco Everyday Value', with new packaging and recipes. Tesco confirmed in April 2013 that it was pulling out of the US market (Fresh & Easy Stores), at a reported cost of £1.2 billion. In September 2013, Tesco announced they were transferring ownership and operations of more than 150 stores to supermarket owner Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies group. Tesco retained the Fresh & Easy brand in the UK - applying it instead to certain convenience food products. In late 2013 more than 1,200 Tesco products are available at AlphaMega supermarkets following an exclusive agreement signed with the UK chain. The Cypriot chain has more than 1,200 different items, including cake-making products, frozen foods, beverages, personal care products, animal feed and other food items. On 1 September 2014, Dave Lewis (previously of Unilever) took over as CEO. On 29 October 2014, The Serious Fraud Office joins other inquiries by two financial watchdogs into the supermarket’s £263 million profit overstatement 

Stores Tesco Extra Tesco Superstores Tesco Metro Tesco Express Tesco Stores Ltd. is the subsidiary of Tesco PLC in the United Kingdom. Tesco's UK operation is divided into six formats, differentiated by size and the range of products sold. Tesco Extra Tesco Superstores Tesco Metro Tesco Express One Stop Tesco Homeplus

FINANCIAL PERFORMACE YEARS Turnover (£m) Profit before tax (£m) Profit for year (£m) Basic earnings per share (p) 22 February 2014 70,894 3,054 2,259 32.05 23 February 2013 64,826 3,549 3,453 35.97 25 February 2012 64,539 3,985 2,814 34.98 26 February 2011 67,573 3,535 2,671 33.10 27 February 2010 62,537 3,176 2,336 31.66 28 February 2009 54,300 3,128 2,166 28.92 23 February 2008 47,298 2,803 2,130 26.95

New Tesco House, the Tesco head office, in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

Tesco Extra, Commercial Street, Batley, West Yorkshire. Tesco Extra, Bar Hill. Tesco Metro, St Albans, Hertfordshire One Stop, Trowbridge, Wiltshire