It must surely rank as one of the most offbeat commercially made sandwich ever to go on sale in the UK.  This month Brits will be able to try it for themselves when the world’s first lasagne sandwich goes on sale at Tesco stores.The sandwich takes its inspiration from a student classic snack and a modern school of thought that believes that certain foods such as pizza and pasta sometimes taste better cold. Said Tesco food developer and sandwich creator Laura Fagan: “We think the lasagne... ...Read more »

UK retailer Tesco has withdrawn an advertisement claiming its bread is baked from scratch in-store following a complaint by the Real Bread Campaign (RBC). The complaint, which was upheld by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), questioned the authenticity of the retailer’s claim, when it is believed the majority of loaves are cooked from chilled or frozen. The press ad stated: “Fresh bread. Baked from scratch in our in store bakery. Using 100% British flour. So every single... ...Read more »

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in the UK has decided to drop certain allegations against Tesco as part of its Dairy investigation, at the same time as agreeing a penalty discount in recognition of Tesco notifying the OFT that it does not intend to contest the remaining aspects.Having considered detailed representations and new evidence from Tesco following the issue of the Statement of Objections in September 2007, and a supplementary Statement of Objections, the OFT has concluded that the evidence... ...Read more »

* Pre-tax profits up 10%; trading profits rise 12% * Turnover climbs almost 7% * Asia trading profits increase 18.9% UK retail giant Tesco yesterday (20 April) booked a 10.1% rise in annual profits as earnings in Asia jumped and the company boosted its domestic business with investment in loyalty scheme Clubcard. Tesco reported underlying pre-tax profits of GBP3.34bn (US$5.13bn) for the 52 weeks to 27 February, a rise of 10.1% on the year. Trading profit was up 12.3% to GBP3.41bn, while group sales... ...Read more »

Unease and uncertainty has been provoked among international food retailers in India by new restrictive guidelines issued that limit the already-restricted foreign investment in the country’s organised retail sector.India’s retail sector has held back foreign direct investment (FDI) but many in the sector was expecting a gradual liberalisation of rules on the ability of local players to strike deals with overseas partners. Instead, the Congress-led government has taken an unexpected step... ...Read more »

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the US unit of Tesco, this week launched Eatwell, a new line of more nutritious products. All eatwell products contain no more than 25% of the daily values (based upon a 2,000 calorie diet) for calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium. Eatwell also contains no artificial colors or flavors, and no added trans fats. Building on the success of fresh&easy’s Kitchen range, the company launched 17 new eatwell products made fresh in the company’s Riverside,... ...Read more »

European drinks trade publication the drinks business has awarded Tesco their Green Retailer of the Year award, for demonstrated business practices in improving environmental credentials in the drinks retailing industry. Tesco reports that their efforts in packaging reduction, efficient distribution and customer education have had a tangible positive effect on retailing alcoholic drinks. Initiatives such as Tetra Pak wine packaging, made from 75% low-carbon paperboard, have been extremely successful,... ...Read more »

The UK’s largest retailer has launched the first of its new “Buy One, Get One Free Later” deals, designed in response to alarming research showing the high levels of food waste. Such is the extent of food waste in the UK that the government is looking at the prospect of clamping down on traditional ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ (BOGOF) deals. This has already elicited a response from retailers, with Tesco’s new discount strategy to include the ability for customers to... ...Read more »

In the wake of concerns about the waste created by ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ offers (BOGOFs), UK retailer Sainsbury’s has introduced a new, but similar offer, to tackle such concerns. The ‘buy now free next time’ deal allows customers to get the product free next time they are in store and it will be initially offered on nappies and baguettes. “Following feedback from our customers, we learnt that whilst ‘buy one get one free’ promotional offers on nappies... ...Read more »

Tesco, the largest retailer in the UK, has opened the first completely self-service outlet in Britain as retailers around the world continue to look at self-service checkouts as a means to reduce costs. The express convenience store will have five self-service registers, with just one employee monitoring the tills and providing assistance to customers. A Tesco spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the outlet was part of the company’s response to the consumer push for more convenient retailing. “Customers... ...Read more »