Tesco Real Food sets SOS helpline to save Christmas dinner nightmares

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:59:38 GMT

Tesco Real Food has set up a unique Christmas dinner SOS helpline to rescue Brits from kitchen disasters as they prepare their festive feasts.

The supermarket has pulled together a crack team of expert chefs who will be on hand to offer personalised first rate advice on how to create the perfect Christmas dinner and avoid any potential nightmares.

Anyone running into difficulties on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be able to contact the team via the supermarket's Twitter site to get immediate solutions to their culinary problems.

Tesco senior marketing manager Breige Donaghy said: "Imagine the scenario - your guests are due to arrive for the most celebrated meal of the year and to your horror your turkey is undercooked, your bread sauce too thick and your roasties aren’t crispy enough.

"But instead of panicking, cooks will now be able to speak to our team of expert chefs who have cooked thousands of meals between them and who know all the tricks of the trade for putting on a fabulous Christmas feast with as little stress as possible.

"We think the helpline will prove especially useful to those embarking on cooking their first ever Christmas dinner. And our experts will also be around on Christmas Eve in case anyone needs help planning the big meal."

The team will include Cordon Bleu standard chefs as well as others who have been trained by top London cooking school Leiths and other top restaurants plus those who work with Tesco to develop recipes and inspire new dishes. Their combined experience totals nearly 100 years in the food business.

The team will run two help sessions. One will offer planning and preparation tips between 10am and 8pm on Christmas Eve and the other will help solve actual cooking dilemmas on Christmas Day, between 8am and 4pm.

Anyone wanting to contact the team will need to log onto Twitter on those days and then navigate to Tesco's Real Food Online Twitter page (@tescorealfood), and send off their question. They will then be sent a tweet with a solution to their problem.

Breige Donaghy added: "This is the first time that any supermarket has ever tried anything like this and if it’s a success then we will look at running similar kitchen helplines for Easter and other big occasions."

ENDS

Note to editors:
On the Real Food website Tesco has developed a Christmas zone to help customers with everything they will need in the run up to Christmas. The tools on the site include:
- Easy-to-follow cooking videos
- Working out the right cooking times with a turkey timer. The timer can also work out the cooking times for salmon, gammon, chicken and beef.
- How to carve a turkey
- How to steam a Christmas pudding
- Cocktail recipe tool: users type in their preferred spirit or ask for suggestions based on taste and/or glass type.
- Advent calendar on the site for daily helpful tips on getting ready for Christmas.

About Tesco Real Food:
The Tesco Real Food website is packed with hundreds of healthy recipes to suit any occasion including vegetarian recipes and a recipe for strawberry yoghurt jellies. Whether customers are looking for a quick mid-week meal for the family or something for a special event, visitors are sure to find exactly what they're looking for. In addition, a range of step-by-step cooking tips and videos to help improve kitchen skills can be found, as well as healthy eating and cooking with kids sections. To make shopping even easier, every recipe has a ready-made shopping list that can be used to add all the ingredients to the shopping basket in just a few clicks.

Tesco announces embroidered uniform giveaway

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:15:07 GMT

Tesco has teamed up with its Uniform Embroidery Service Team to give away embroidered school uniforms to every child at two lucky primary schools in time for the start of the new school year this September.

As one of the first choices for mums and dads to purchase their children's school uniform, Tesco knows that value for money as well as quality are important factors in selecting school uniform, which is why Tesco sells both quality items and its value range online throughout the year.

In 2010, Tesco launched its School Embroidery Service online at tesco.com/clothing which allows parents to purchase their child's uniform online throughout the year complete with their school's crest already embroidered.

The uniform embroidery service makes it easy for parents to order children's embroided schoolwear and have it delivered to their doors already embroidered. Schools and parents can register their interest for the School embroidery service by visiting www.tescoschoolembroidery.com.

Tesco have launched this school uniform competition through an app on its Facebook page.

To be in with the chance of winning a free 100% cotton 2 pack polo shirt and cotton rich sweater complete with embroidered school crests for every pupil at their child's primary school, parents can visit the Clothing at Tesco Facebook page and vote for their child's school to win.

Voting started on Monday 4th July and closes on Wednesday 13th July when the school with the highest number of votes will win the uniforms and, because Tesco know a few lucky schools (mainly in Scotland) will have broken up for the holidays or may not be around to vote and some schools may have smaller communities than others, the company will be selecting a second school at random to win too.

This year Tesco has over 80 pieces of Back to School uniform, across its Value, Core, Signature and Fairtrade range as well as more features and benefits than ever before, with superior quality.

Tesco's Value back to school uniform, along with Tesco's Core and Premium F&F Signature uniform ranges, have been rigorously tested for wear and tear to British and European Testing Standards.

The Tesco Back to School range is available all year round with new styles in store in June. A wide range that includes shirts, pique polo shirts, school trousers, school shoes, back to school shorts, skirts and pinafores is available in 500 stores and online at Tesco's website. Essential Back to School items such as shirts, polo shirts, socks and briefs will be available during the summer in 600 stores across the country, including Metro stores. The Value uniform will be available in 200 stores and online.

- Ends -

About Tesco:
Tesco is able to offer its uniform to customers based on strong relationships with its suppliers built over a long period of time, and also due to the volumes it buys in. Purchasing high volumes from suppliers means Tesco can work together with its manufacturers to pass on fantastic cost savings to customers.

Tesco is a founder member of the Ethical Trading Initiative and continues to support efforts to improve workers' conditions in all the countries and factories its buys from.

Tesco offers clothing banks in selected stores to encourage parents to recycle old school uniforms. Old school uniforms collected in the clothing banks are donated to several charities and the money raised will then be used to support good causes.

Tesco's successful Buy One, Give One school uniform donation scheme is about to launch in stores and online for the third year. For every skirt, trouser or two pack of Fairtrade cotton polo shirts bought from Tesco's 'You Buy One, We Give One' range this summer, Tesco will donate a complete uniform to a child in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Tesco reveals lowest price school uniform

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:14:55 GMT

Tesco is already gearing up for back to school in September, even though the summer tern has only just started, by unveiling its one-price-fits-all school uniform.

Despite rising cotton prices, Tesco has managed to offer customers a low price school uniform option from the Tesco Value range. The flat price applies to all sizes (3-16 years) so regardless of a child's age parents can expect to pay the same price giving families on the tightest budgets great value.

Jan Marchant, Tesco Clothing buying director said: "Parents like different price options for Back to School and our Value range offers them a fantastic quality product, fully covered by our ethical trading programme, at an unbeatable price. We are pleased to offer our customers a whole school uniform at the lowest possible price, and certainly the most competitive price on the high street."

Tesco's Value Back to school uniform, along with Tesco's Core and Premium F&F Signature uniform ranges, have been rigorously tested for wear and tear to British and European Testing Standards.

This year Tesco has over 80 pieces of Back to School uniform, across its Value, Core, Signature and Fairtrade range as well as more features and benefits than ever before, with superior quality.

The Tesco Back to School range is available all year round with new styles in store in June. A wide range that includes shirts, pique polo shirts, school trousers, school shoes, skirts and pinafores is available in 500 stores and online at Tesco's website. Essential Back to School items such as shirts, polo shirts, socks and briefs will be available during the summer in 600 stores across the country, including Metro stores. The Value uniform will be available in 200 stores and online.

- Ends -

About Tesco:
Tesco is able to offer its £4.50 uniform to customers based on strong relationships with its suppliers built over a long period of time, and also due to the volumes it buys in. Purchasing high volumes from suppliers means Tesco can work together with its manufacturers to pass on fantastic cost savings to customers.

Tesco is a founder member of the Ethical Trading Initiative and continues to support efforts to improve workers' conditions in all the countries and factories its buys from. Tesco has created a green guide showing factories how they can cut their energy use (and bills).

Tesco's successful Buy One, Give One school uniform donation scheme is about to launch in stores and online for the third year. For every skirt, trouser or two pack of Fairtrade cotton polo shirts bought from our 'You Buy One, We Give One' range this summer, Tesco will donate a complete uniform to a child in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Tesco Real Food reveals French food becomes UK's fastest growing cuisine

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:59:44 GMT

Tesco Real Food has revealed that French food has become the fastest-growing cuisine in the UK.

In the last year, volume sales of French ready-made meals and desserts from all retailers have grown by 16 per cent, according to independent retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel (Jan 2011).

At Tesco the growth is even higher - rising at 27 per cent year on year - and the demand has prompted the supermarket to launch its first ever dedicated range called French Classics.

In that time it has seen the following volume sales rises for French dishes:
- Chicken Chasseur - 226 per cent
- Steak Diane - 32 per cent
- Coq au Vin - 34 per cent
- Steak au Poivre - 37 per cent
- Salmon en Croute - 73 per cent
- Tarte Au Citrons - 82 per cent

Tesco food developer Stephanie Bacon, who helped create the French Classic range, said: "French food has never been more popular in Britain than it is right now and that may seem unusual given the tough economic times because it's a cuisine which has always been perceived as being expensive.

"However, with less money to eat our shoppers have been treating themselves to upmarket dishes at home in order to replicate the restaurant dining experience in their own homes.

"We initially saw sales soar after the launch of our Restaurant Collection - which features several French dishes - two years ago and decided to create a dedicated range in the autumn which is outperforming all expectations."

The top five fastest growing cuisines in the UK are French (16 per cent), Chinese food (15 per cent), British (6.7 per cent), Italian (6.6 per cent) and Tex-Mex (3.2 per cent).

Tesco is already planning to add to its French range in the spring with Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Diane and Crab Gratin being added. The dishes were created by chefs who have worked in restaurants which have been awarded Michelin Stars. Tesco Real Food also features a number of French recipes, including classic French remoulade, for anyone who wants to try their hand at creating a dish of their own.

Ends

About Tesco Real Food:
The Tesco Real Food website is packed with thousands of inspiring recipes to suit any occasion. Whether customers are looking for a quick mid-week meal for the family or something for a special event, visitors are sure to find exactly what they're looking for. In addition, a range of step-by-step cooking tips and videos to help improve kitchen skills can be found, as well as healthy eating and cooking with kids sections. To make shopping even easier, every recipe has a ready-made shopping list that can be used to add all the ingredients to the shopping basket in just a few clicks.

Tesco sales indicate afternoon tea is back on the social map

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:17:11 GMT

Tesco reveals that while the recession may have managed to see off many of life's little luxuries it has actually helped to revive the quaint English tradition of afternoon tea.

In the last year a new generation of Brits have taken the therapeutic custom of gassing over a nice cup of char to heart - sending sales of scones, cream cakes and speciality teas soaring in the process.

In that time demand for scones across all retailers have soared by 42% while 70s favourite mini rolls have rocketed by a massive 82% (Kantar Worldpanel, Jan 2011).

In general cakes, pastries and cookies have grown by 10% (Kantar Worldpanel, Jan 2011) across the market as the trend gathers momentum.

At Tesco the trend in the last year is even more pronounced with increased sales of scones (62%), custard donuts (55%), cream donuts (51%), choux buns (36%), carrot and orange cake (48%), coconut macaroons up 37% and frangipanes (36%).

Tesco Real Food spokesperson, Karen Poole, said: "Sitting down with friends for a nice cup of char and a cream cake is not only wonderfully therapeutic but also an affordable treat.

"And judging by these high and unexpected sales it seems a lot more Brits are doing just that."

Tea producers Twinings stated that in the last year they have seen volume sales increases of speciality blends, which are lighter in taste and traditionally served for afternoon tea, with rises of Lapsang-Souchong (23%), Ceylon (20%) and Earl Grey up 6%.

Karen Poole commented, "Afternoon tea along with the sandwich, pork pies and fish and chips is one of England's proudest contributions to world cuisine and for nearly 150 years was enjoyed by the rich and poor, young and old alike. But it fell out of fashion 30 years ago with the arrival of fast food culture and dropped further off the social agenda with the arrival of American coffee shops in the late 90s which helped to all but kill off the concept of afternoon tea.

"Now all that is changing and we are seeing the dawning of a new era for this great social tradition."

Tesco Real Food reveals UK demand for Italian food

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:18:59 GMT

Tesco Real Food has revealed that Italian food is growing ever more popular in the UK.

Antipasti and olives, once considered posh people's nibbles, have surprisingly become one of Britain's fastest growing culinary trends on the back of the ever-growing love for Italian food and Italian recipes.

In the last year demand for the starters has taken off with sales rising by 42 per cent across all UK retailers in a market worth £38m.

At Tesco, antipasti and olives, in particular the dressed variety, have become the fastest growing foods on its deli counters.

So great is the UK's appetite for olives that the supermarket now sells 16 different varieties having more than doubled its range in the last year.

This follows news that pizza has become the UK's favourite food with sales dwarfing those of former top seller curry by well over 2 to 1.*

And to further underline the UK's love of the Italian dining experience, the country's wine has grown in the UK by 15 per cent - strong growth for a mature market - with it being outperformed only by Spanish and Chilean wines in the last year.

Said Tesco deli counters buyer Nicola Jamieson: "Our love of Italian food continues to grow but while pizza and pasta have long been British favourites its elegant antipasti and olives and also nice Italian wine which have suddenly become super trendy.

"Until only recently antipasti and dressed olives would have been considered posh peoples' nibbles.

"But in the last year they have started to become mainstream - a trend which has grown directly from our love of pizzas, pasta and Italian desserts.

"Pizzas are already our favourite dish, while tiramisu and profiteroles have long established themselves as dessert favourites so antipasti, olives and say, a nice Pinot Grigio, complete the Italian dining experience."

Antipasti means 'before the meal' in Italian and is the traditional first course of an Italian meal.

Typical antipasti foods include sundried tomatoes, char-grilled peppers, artichoke hearts, semi-dried tomatoes, cherry peppers, stuffed vine leaves, and flat white anchovies.

Added Tesco's Nicola Jamieson: "While olives have always been popular it is the new stuffed and dressed varieties that are creating the current boom, both as a healthy aperitif but also as general party food nibbles."

Included in Tesco's dressed olive range are varieties with sundried tomatoes, lemon and garlic, roasted vegetables, jalapeno peppers, piri piri, garlic, Spanish mix with garlic, chilli and thyme, feta cheese, chilli and basil, and Manchego cheese.

Olives and olive oil are a good source of healthy mono-unsaturated fats and vitamin E. They are also a good source of iron, dietary fibre and copper.

About Tesco Real Food:
The Tesco Real Food website is packed with thousands of inspiring, delicious recipes to suit any occasion. Whether customers are looking for a quick mid-week meal for the family or something for a special event, visitors are sure to find exactly what they’re looking for. In addition, a range of step-by-step cooking tips and videos to help improve kitchen skills can be found, as well as healthy eating and cooking with kids sections. To make shopping even easier, every recipe has a ready-made shopping list that can be used to add all the ingredients to the shopping basket in just a few clicks.

Note to editors:
* In the last year Brits bought a total of 466 million pizzas from UK stores compared with 191 million curries. (Kantar Worldpanel July 2010).

Tesco.com signs major deal with Dragon's Den winner

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:04:22 GMT

Tesco.com has partnered with MyDish.co.uk to enable customers to upload and share their favourite family recipes on the Tesco Real Food site using MyDish technology.

In addition, customers can enjoy online 'foodie' conversations within the Real Food community sharing their favourite hints, tips and recipe ideas.

Tesco is also making it easier for customers to shop for their recipe ingredients. Customers simply find the recipes they want to make from either Tesco Real Food or MyDish.co.uk, click 'add to shopping basket', and in just a few seconds all the required ingredients can be ordered online from Tesco.com.

Last year MyDish.co.uk made headlines when founder Carol Savage became the first entrepreneur to have been offered double the amount of money she was pitching for from the Dragons. Carol received two separate offers and finally agreed to a £100,000 deal with retail guru Deborah Meaden.

Laura Wade-Gery, CEO of Tesco.com and Tesco Direct said: "We're really excited about working with Carol from MyDish and Deborah to support this new and exciting British business. The partnership will improve the way our customers shop online enabling them to see all the ingredients they need for their recipes and with just one click get them delivered directly to their door."

Carol Savage said: "After years of hard work this is major achievement. I'm thrilled to be working with Tesco and couldn't have done this without the help of Deborah and Dragon's Den."

Tesco's dotcom team met with Dragon's Den Deborah Meadon and MyDish founder Carol Savage this summer when the BBC filmed the deal being made at Tesco's head office. The programme aired on BBC 2.

Deborah Meaden, of Dragon's Den said: "I decided to invest in MyDish.co.uk because I saw a winning combination of a great concept and a genuinely passionate individual with strong relevant track record. My confidence in her ability to make MyDish work has paid off as can be recognised by our new partnership with Tesco.com."

The Tesco Real Food and MyDish.co.uk customer recipes page can be found online now.

About Tesco Real Food:
The Tesco Real Food website is packed with thousands of inspiring, delicious recipes to suit any occasion. Whether customers are looking for a quick mid-week meal for the family or something for a special event, users are sure to find exactly what they're looking for. In addition, a range of step-by-step cooking tips and videos to help improve kitchen skills can be found, as well as healthy eating and cooking with kids sections. To make shopping even easier, every recipe has a ready-made shopping list that can be used to add all the ingredients to the shopping basket in just a few clicks.

Tesco launches first ever shopping app for iPhone

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:55:01 GMT

Tesco has announced that it is launching its first ever shopping app for iPhone. The Tesco grocery app joins the family of hugely successful Tesco apps, including Clubcard and the Winefinder, which together have now reached over one million downloads.

The announcement represents a landmark moment for the supermarket, as this is the first time that Tesco has created a shopping portal that is specifically optimised for the iPhone.

Laura Wade-Gery, CEO for tesco.com comments: "We're always looking for ways to make life easier for customers. The iPhone app creates a fantastic new way to shop with tesco.com whenever you want, whether you’re adding last minute essentials or starting a new order."

The app means that customers can 'shop on the go' for groceries via their iPhones. Once downloaded, those customers who have registered with tesco.com groceries will be able to access their home store's product range and their 'Favourites' (items purchased online or from a Tesco store using a Clubcard. They can log into their grocery account and add forgotten items to their basket, or start a new order from scratch, checking out securely on the phone or later online. The updated order synchronises seamlessly from phone to computer and vice versa, perfect for adding last minute essentials.

The Tesco iPhone app is available for free and users can download it directly from the Apple iTunes Store. Tesco has been working with mobile specialists Ribot, who designed and developed the new app.

Antony Ribot, co-founder of Ribot commented: "User experience is so critical to the success of apps like these. The functionality can be great, but if you fail on experience, you've failed full stop. For Tesco, the user's shopping experience was the top priority, and that’s where we were able to put our knowledge to work. Ribot turned the whole concept of mobile shopping on its head using 'Favourites' as the core component for the whole process. By doing so, we’ve created something which is intuitive and familiar, despite being completely new."

The tesco.com grocery app allows customers to:
- Add/remove products from an existing order
- Login to their grocery account
- Browse 'Favourites'
- Book a delivery slot
- Search for and add products
- Browse for products by department, shelves, aisles etc.
- Display nutritional and storage info for products (not available for all products)
- Seamlessly integrate their mobile grocery shopping with the same order on a computer
- Checkout via their mobile or online

-ends-

About Tesco:
Tesco plc, a UK-based international grocery and merchandising retailer, is Britain's largest supplier and the world's third largest grocery retailer, by both global sales and domestic market share. Founded as a food specialist in 1929, Tesco has now expanded into diverse areas such as flowers, books, music, clothes, gifts, telecoms and even baby buggies. The company employs over 250,000 people, operates 1,779 stores across Europe and Asia and serves over 15 million customers.

Tesco introduce the UK's first Freeview+ HD PVR Hybrid Box

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:14:53 GMT

Tesco and IP Vision have launched the UK's first Freeview+ HD PVR Hybrid Box in time to allow football fans who cannot get to South Africa for the world cup to experience the next best thing to being there.

High-definition TV is the closest experience to viewing something for real however to do this the right equipment is also required. The latest player is Tesco's Technika SmartBox, the UK's first high-definition hybrid Freeview+ box, which is now available in store and online, with 320gb of memory.

High Definition is the TV's first chance to really allow the viewer to feel 'that' close to the action. With the UK's first Freeview+ HD PVR users can watch and record high definition programmes to re-live the action. This is the only PVR currently on sale in the UK that allows the owner to record Freeview HD channels in HD. Now the 2010 winning World Cup goal can be recorded and watched again and again at leisure in HD, especially important if it is an English goal.

Tesco senior commerical manager Matt Finch said; "We are offering customers a fantastic range of deals on entertainment systems ahead of the World Cup and this is the ultimate in superb match viewing. Tesco is continually developing its electrical offering and the launch of the first Technika Freeview+ HD SmartBox at only £200 shows we are able to offer our customers the latest and best in technology at affordable prices."

The Technika SmartBox also allows users to access over 2000 hours of on-demand programmes via IP Vision's FetchTV platform. Connecting the box to any broadband supplier accesses the FetchTV platform. Once registered with FetchTV content is delivered via broadband directly to the TV screen. Services including the BBC iPlayer are accessed via an easy to navigate on-screen menu.

Peter Cox Marketing Director FetchTV said "As a nation we'll all be behind England's World Cup journey. If you can't be there high definition is the best way to watch the games and the new SmartBox is certainly the cheapest way to get access to great High Definition TV services. Looking at history it seems that major improvements in our visual lives have gone hand in hand with great sporting achievements. Let's hope the launch of this box points to a World Cup triumph for England."

Users can also choose to subscribe to Sky Player in order to access paid for Sky TV content including Sky Movies, Sky Sports and over 40 additional channels including Sky 1, Living and Bravo. Live broadcast Sky channels can be accessed by subscribing for a minimum of 30 days. Sky Player also offers a selection of pay per view content which does not require a minimum subscription period. This is the first time that paid-for Sky content has been made available via a Freeview+ HD set top box.

FetchTV also offers thousands of hours of entertainment including movies such as Disney's latest blockbuster, Alice, TV shows, music and kids TV. The majority of this content is also available on a pay-per-view basis cancelling out the need for monthly contracts and minimum commitments. Users just simply pay for what they want to watch.

- Ends -

Notes to editors:
About Tesco:
Tesco plc, a UK-based international grocery and merchandising retailer, is Britain's largest supplier and the world's third largest grocery retailer, by both global sales and domestic market share. Founded as a food specialist in 1929, Tesco has now expanded into diverse areas such as flowers, books, music, clothes, gifts, telecoms and even baby buggies. The company employs over 250,000 people, operates 1,779 stores across Europe and Asia and serves over 15 million customers.

Tesco aims for top marks with lowest price school uniform

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:50:17 GMT

Tesco is aiming for top marks with parents this summer by launching a one-price-fits-all school uniform for just £3.75*, the lowest price available.

The fixed price is frozen at last year's level and it applies to all sizes, giving parents on the tightest budgets great value. Usually, retailers vary prices as the uniform sizes get bigger so parents with older children have to pay more.

Jan Marchant, Tesco Clothing Buying Director said: "Parents like different price options for Back to School and our Value range offers them a fantastic, quality product, produced in line with Ethical Trading Initiative guidelines, at an unbeatable price. For just £3.75, parents can buy a single uniform in any size from 3 to 16 years."

Tesco's Value school uniform has been rigorously tested for tough school wear and tear to British and European Testing Standards.

This year Tesco has expanded its Back to School offering with 27 new products as well as stepping up quality with updated features and superior quality across half the range, yet sticking to last year's prices. New features include kid-proof sealed hems on all boys school trousers, adjustable waists up to 12 - 13 years; bigger pockets and rain resist coating on coats helping to keep the kids warm and dry. The range includes a full Fairtrade Cotton uniform for the first time.

The Tesco Back to School range is a wide range that includes shirts, pique polo shirts, trousers, skirts, pinafores, and coats is available in 450 stores. For parents that need to stock up on essential Back to School items such as shirts, pique polo shirts, socks and briefs, these will be available in 725 stores across the country, including Metro stores. The Value school uniform will be available in 200 stores and online.

- Ends -

Notes to editors:
*£3.75 uniform applies to the Tesco Value uniform, and includes a polo shirt (50p), sweatshirt (£1.75), and trousers (£1.50) or skirt (£1.50). Value uniform available in 200 stores from 14th June 2010. Available in ages 3-16. Three for two deal on Value school uniforms available online with free delivery.

Tesco win Green Retailer of the Year award

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:33:43 GMT

Tesco, the leading UK retailer in beers, wines and spirits, won the Green Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Business Green Awards held at the end of March.

Tesco picked up the award following a number of measures being taken by the retailer to make its packaging for alcoholic drinks as environmentally friendly as possible.

Tesco currently has 461 packaging reduction projects in beers, wines and spirits. So far, the retailer has have delivered 24,047 Metric Tonnes of BWS packaging reduction with another 8,000 MTs to be delivered in the next 6 months. Tesco has also driven the development of wines in Tetra Pak to increase their acceptability in the UK market. Tetra Pak is made of 75% paperboard, a low carbon raw material which they are working towards having 100% certified, currently by FSC. The hugely successful Tesco Value Spanish wines, packaged in Tetra Pak, have sold about 20,000 units per line per week since launch and the range was expanded to include a New World Value range from Chile in 2009.

As well as reducing packaging, Tesco has been active in driving glass reduction. Lightweight bottles have saved 5,500 MTs of glass on the retailer's Own Label wines and even lighter ones are currently being pioneered. Additionally the proportions of recycled glass in Tesco's Own Label bottles has been driven up by Tesco and now stands at 90% recycled content in green glass bottles and 35% for flint (clear glass).

Importing New World Wines in bulk and bottling them in the UK has saved 52,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Wines are ferried from Liverpool to Manchester on barge, taking 50 lorries of the road per week, saving 700,000 miles of emissions.

Tesco is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its delivery services as well. Delivery vehicles have been fitted with black boxes which monitor fuel consumption and drivers have been given advanced training to maximise fuel efficiency.

Following the successful introduction of carbon labelling on Tesco own brand products last year, the retailer is currently developing the first ever carbon footprinted Own Label wines with Highfield Estate in New Zealand (accredited by PAS2050). These will be a NZ Sauvignon Blanc and a NZ Pinot Noir.

In an effort to spread its knowledge to its customers, Tesco is putting additional levels of information on the back labels of wine bottles. These will include details on packaging reduction, disposal (recyclability), proportion of recycled material and carbon footprinting. Tesco has points of sale in its stores to encourage people to consider green options when making their purchases.

Tesco has glass recycling stations at 680 stores, including 85 Tomra units. Customers who buy wines in Tetra Pak are able to recycle them either through their local collection or at one of Tesco's 147 on-site Tetra Pak recycling bins.

Substantial investment has been made to ensure that Tesco is able to support the consumer in making green choices by removing barriers, one of which is price. Bulk shipping is an example of a green process that reduces the costs in every part of the supply chain which means savings can be passed on to the customer, encouraging them to make sustainable choices.

About Tesco:
Tesco plc, a UK-based international grocery and merchandising retailer, is Britain's largest supplier and the world's third largest grocery retailer, by both global sales and domestic market share. Founded as a food specialist in 1929, Tesco has now expanded into diverse areas such as flowers, books, music, F&F Couture signifies a new era for supermarket fashion. It's a high fashion-led range which will enable us to meet the increased desire for affordable yet high quality clothing, and we're so confident that the range will be a success that work has already begun on the Autumn/Winter range."

The standout piece of the collection is the Textured Pagoda Dress which is sculpted in a flattering hourglass shape. A ruffled collar adds detail to the dress whilst the exposed zip adds a welcome edginess.

Embellished with metallic silver sequins that highlight the muted print, the Pagoda Jacket is a dramatic cover up that will add interest to any outfit. The jacket is paired with the unstructured sequin trim Fisherman Trousers that have a flattering paperbag tie waist and slouchy oversized pockets.

Combining sharp tailoring with a feminine edge, the Stripe Shorts and Waistcoat are adorned with pintucks and origami pleats. A peek-a-boo cutout adds interest to the back of the waistcoat with the wrap-around fastening on the shorts creating a skirt-like appearance.

The Black Cropped Jacket is adorned with thousands of tiny sequins giving it a metallic quality, whilst the over-exaggerated long balloon sleeves add interest by playing on proportion. The Harem Pant in grey silk features a gathered waist and fabric is pulled in with drawstrings around the ankle.

Featuring diaphanous swathes of white fabric that drape from a high ruffled neckline, the Multi Layered Dress (£140) has an ethereal quality whether dressed up or down. The Multi Layered Skirt (£60) in the same fabric is finished with a puffball hem.

The Printed Crop top and maxi Sweep Skirt both come in the same moody charcoal coloured print and are finished with a black sequin trim, giving them a grungy yet feminine feel. The Longline Printed Vest is in sheer fabric and has an exaggerated racer back.

Punchy brights are the key focus for the Acid Print Oversized Dress and Jumpsuit. Garments are finished with ruched detail and gemstones. The Extreme Jacket in light denim sits alongside these.

The full F&F Couture range will launch exclusively online at tesco.com/clothing on the 29th March 2010.

ENDS

Tesco introduces Tefals WiKook

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:04:13 GMT

Tesco has announced it is to introduce the WiKook cooking pot from Tefal to its shelves this spring.

The scientists at Tefal are set to revolutionise the way people cook as they launch the innovative WiKook, the first ever fast cooker that cooks food up to 25% faster than any other traditional cooking pot.

When closed, the patented Tefal Power Lid locks in heat to accelerate cooking, almost working as a pressure cooker. All customers need to do is simply add the necessary ingredients to the pot, lock in the Tefal Power Lid, turn on the heat and when the time is done have a perfectly cooked meal for up to four people.

The Tefal WiKook fast cooker prepares food at such speed that it retains more vitamins and nutrients for healthier meals. Those who use the new pot can make varied recipes using fish, pasta, meat, rice, soups and even desserts. It also uses 25% less energy than a traditional pot, therefore helping customers to save money on annual gas bills.

Tefal's WiKook fast cooker is expected to appeal to busy mums and professionals who don't want to compromise on taste, and want a healthy meal in a short space of time. The Tefal WiKook fast cooker fuses speed and ease in all aspects of cooking so it is a fast cooker by name and by nature.

With its thick aluminium base, the Tefal Wikook fast cooker guarantees even heat distribution and evenly cooked ingredients. It is suitable for all types of hobs, including induction. The Tefal inner and outer non-stick coating also ensures easy cleaning.

The Tefal WiKook fast cooker will be available from Tesco in early Spring and comes with a recipe book.

Customers can visit the Tesco website for more details.

-Ends-

Tesco Wine app on iPhone makes everybody a wine buff

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:12:52 GMT

Tesco Wine has launched a new iPhone app especially for anyone who has ever wished they could pick the perfect wine, tasted a classy claret at a party and wondered where they could buy it, or wanted to impress their friends with connoisseur-like credentials.

Now everybody can be a wine buff with Tesco.com's new Wine app - developed by Cortexica Vision Systems which was founded by experts from Imperial College using pioneering visual imaging that mimics the way the human brain identifies images.

"All you need to do is take a picture of any wine bottle label from your iPhone and if it is one of the 1,000 that Tesco Wine by the Case stocks you'll see all the tasting notes and information about that wine, including the guide price," explained Laura Wade-Gery, Tesco.com CEO.

"We hope this will democratise and demystify wine know-how by making information much more accessible. But we're advising using the app cautiously if you're at a dinner party - exercise good manners and discretion at all times. Tesco Wine by the case sells some wonderful, award-winning wines that are great value, so you wouldn't want to embarrass your hosts by announcing the price tag."

The app can suggest the ideal wine, depending on budget, menu or preferred country of origin - user just tap the button or shake the phone and wait for their result, all to the glug-glug sound of wine being gently poured from a bottle and the resulting pop of the cork.

The Wine app will direct the user through to Tesco Wine by the case so that customers can buy their selection direct from their mobile phone - perfect for stocking up for seasonal entertaining.

Steve Semenzato, CEO of Cortexica, said: "This brilliant app is built upon a Vision System that is the result of six years' research. It is unique because it does not match an image directly to another image but looks for key features to match against, just like the human brain does. It won't matter if you can't quite get the perfect picture - not easy to do on a curvy bottle - it should still recognise a label."

For customers without iPhones, the Tesco Wine Club has lots of information about the best wines to grace Christmas tables this season, specially selected by Gerard Bassett, the only person in the world to hold the combined qualifications of Master Sommelier, Master of Wine and a Wine MBA.

Gerard's selections in full - made with Tesco's own Master of Wine, Pierpaolo Petrassi - are available from the Tesco website and in the latest edition of the WineClub magazine.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For further information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01992 646 462 or 01992 644346. Out of hours the duty press officer can be contacted by calling 01992 644733 and selecting option 2 from the voicemail menu.

Tesco sign Elen Rivas to Diamond Boutique for her first ever lingerie campaign

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:22:09 GMT

Tesco Clothing has signed Elen Rivas, the Spanish former fiancée of Frank Lampard, the Chelsea and England football star, to help show off the latest collection from Diamond Boutique, the luxury lingerie range available exclusively from 169 Tesco stores.

The 34 year old mother-of-two, who appears in a Spanish inspired-shoot for the supermarket giant, has been chosen to front the latest campaign in which she models the brand's new Christmas collection. Her pictures will appear in Tesco stores throughout the UK and online through the Tesco Clothing site.

This is Elen's very first lingerie campaign and her first-ever modeling assignment, but Elen looks confident and relaxed as she poses seductively in a Spanish villa, flaunting her womanly curves and dazzling smile, wearing the luxurious new Diamond Boutique designs.

Elen, who has also made several TV appearances on GMTV this year, said; "I was so delighted when Michelle Mone asked me to front the new Diamond Boutique campaign. I was at first daunted, but I had so much fun on the shoot and I'm so pleased with the final results. I've never modeled before and after two kids I wasn't sure how the pictures would look, but I'm very proud of them."

She added; "Diamond Boutique delivers everything a designer brand should. The designs are elegant, stylish and fit to perfection. What's more, even if you buy the entire collection you won't feel guilty as it's so easy on the pocket. I wear the range every day, whether I'm off to the supermarket or glamming up for a night out."

Michelle Mone, creator of the Diamond Boutique range, said; "Elen looks beautiful in the new collection. She has a fantastic personality that shines through and I think women will really relate to her. Not only is she a mother, but she's incredibly down to earth and exudes an inner confidence and sensuality like only a Spanish senorita can."

Michelle added; "The new Diamond Boutique range sparkles from every direction. It's the perfect Christmas collection and the purse-friendly prices mean that everyone can have a slice of luxury in their lingerie drawer this season."

Terry Green, CEO of Tesco Clothing, said; "The new Diamond Boutique Christmas collection is incredibly luxurious, but continues our focus on value with prices starting from just £7.00. Elen is a great signing for the brand and proves that budget lingerie can look just as good as expensive designer lingerie."

Available from a purse-friendly £7.00, the new Diamond Boutique Christmas collection comes in sizes 32A to 38D for bras and 8-18 for briefs crafted from silks, satins and lace. The new collection is available from Tesco stores nationwide and online.

- ENDS -

Founded as a food specialist in 1929, Tesco has now expanded into diverse areas such as flowers, books, music, clothes, gifts, telecoms and even baby buggies. The company employs over 250,000 people, operates 1,779 stores across Europe and Asia and serves over 15 million customers.

Tesco Mobile gets people talking with unlimited mobile deal

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:21:41 GMT

Tesco Mobile has unveiled a brand new credit crunch-beating unlimited tariff, allowing people to talk and text as much as they want without worrying about their monthly phone bills.

The SIM only, pay monthly deal gives people unlimited minutes, texts and browsing for just £30 a month. With everyone watching their wallets, people need not worry about going over their free minutes and getting a large, unexpected bill at the end of the month.

Research from Tesco Mobile showed that in the current financial climate, worry over the cost of monthly phone bills has led to people spending less time on the phone to friends and relatives.

59% of Brits said they would spend more time on their mobiles if they had unlimited minutes and over half of all respondents (52%) claimed they had friends or relatives who cut short phone calls to keep costs down. Nearly half admitted doing this themselves (49%) despite it being voted one of the most annoying breaches of 'mobile phone etiquette'.

With over 85% of the population now owning a mobile phone, mobile use has developed its own 'rules' for behaviour. Asked to name the most unacceptable and annoying mobile phone habits, the majority of people surveyed cited habits such as calling someone and then hanging up so they have to return the call, texting people to ask them to call back and not picking up voicemails to save money as the most irritating.

Lance Batchelor, Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Mobile and Tesco Telecoms said: "Ours is the only pay monthly deal that gives consumers truly unlimited calling and texting. You don't have to choose if you're a chatterbox or a texter, you can use your mobile as much as you want without having to worry about the cost.

"We believe that this will change the way people use their mobile phones. The new tariff aims to give people a simple, guaranteed way to have unlimited calls, texts and browsing. It takes away the concern and uncertainty about your monthly bill as it's fixed at £30, meaning you can talk, text and browse freely, and avoid the annoying habits revealed by our research."

-Ends-

Notes to editors
- Unlimited tariff is subject to a fair use limit of £500
- Research undertaken by YouGov for Tesco Mobile, July 2009

About Tesco Mobile:
Tesco Mobile is a 50-50 joint venture between Tesco and O2. The company sells exclusively Tesco Mobile branded services in Tesco stores, online and through Tesco Direct, across the UK using O2's technology and network. The service gives Tesco Mobile customers value, simplicity and choice, offering them simple, great value tariffs with rewards such as free credit, free sim cards and Clubcard points. Tesco Mobile has been voted as the number one mobile network for customer satisfaction by Which Magazine (May '09).

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