Counter Revolution: Tesco Story

Founded by Jack Cohen 70 years ago, Tesco has developed from street market to corner, shop, self-sevice to supermarket and Green Shield stamps, superstore to hypermarket. Superficially a story of virtually unbroken success, the reality has been different. Jack Cohen was an autocratic boss, ill-equipped to cope with long-term planning and there was continuous competition and rivalry, but thanks to Sir Leslie Porter, (Cohen’s son-in-law) and then to the current Chairman, Sir Ian MacLaurin, Tesco has entered the 90s with an award in 1989 of a five-star rating in the Green Consumer Shopping Guide.