Tesco international operations
[5] Tesco has been a market leader within the Czech Republic and is one of the largest supermarket chains in the country, operating over 322 stores by 2012,[6] upwards of 300 by 2007.
[7] Tesco is also keen to expand non-food items and has already opened petrol stations and offers personal finance services in the Czech Republic.
[10] Within the same year, Tesco opened up a store named "Vin Plus" in Calais which mostly sold wine, beer and spirits.
[11] On 19 June 2010, Tesco announced that the store would close permemently at the end of August, citifying the decline of the booze cruise as the reason.
In November 2019, having suffered years of net losses and despite extensive cost-cutting and attempts at streamlining its business model, Tesco announced it would exit the Polish market and sell its entire operations.
[16] In June 2020, the Salling Group announced they had acquired Tesco Poland's operations, consisting of 301 stores and two logistics centers for £181 million.
[20] Much like in the Czech Republic, Tesco entered the Slovakian market in 1996 by purchasing Kmart's local operations.
Tesco Slovakia caused controversy amongst the Slovak government when it was found to have come foul of food safety laws in 2006.
There are currently seven Tesco Extra stores in Slovakia – three in Bratislava and one each in Zvolen, Trnava, Banská Bystrica and Spišská Nová Ves.
Tesco also operates store called 'My' in Bratislava which accept Clubcard and share some branding, however, most promotions do not apply for My.
Tesco's largest hypermarket store in Europe, with a floorspace of 18,500 m2 (199,000 sq ft), opened in Dundalk in County Louth in November 2010.
Operations started in 2019 with the first store opening in Puerto de Mazarrón located in the Murcia province of Spain.
Deliveries to Spain ceased in 2022 Tesco acquired a 50% stake in the Hymall chain, from Ting Hsin in September 2004.
A Tesco Express in the Shanghai Old Street area is no different from a typical Chinese convenience store in both style and products on display.
[32] In Feb 2020, Tesco announced that it would exit the China market by selling the 20% stake to CRE for £275 million and the transaction would be completed by 28 February 2020.
[33] In April 2015, the first U Select by Tesco stores resulting from the Chinese joint venture with China Resources Vanguard opened in Hong Kong.
[34] In 2008 Tesco announced their intention to invest an initial £60m ($115m) to open a wholesale cash-and-carry business based in Mumbai with the assistance of the Tata Group.
[35] In 2014, the joint venture between Tesco and Tata was confirmed, where investment by the earlier was reportedly 140 million dollars, thus becoming the first foreign supermarket to enter the country.
[38] Tesco has adopted an approach that focuses on small corner shops that operate similarly to its Express format, rather than opening hypermarkets.
[43] In 2020, Tesco agreed to sell its Malaysian business to the Thailand-based, Charoen Pokphand Group for US$10.6bn, including debt, a transaction that would be expected to be completed in the second half of 2020.
[45] On 16 February 2017 Tesco announced a wholesale partnership with Limestone Private Limited, owner of the Alpha Superstores chain.
[53] Tesco agreed to sell its Thai business to Charoen Pokphand Group for $10.6bn, including debt.
[55] Tesco entered the United States grocery market in 2007 through the opening of a new chain of convenience stores, named Fresh & Easy, on the West Coast (Arizona, California and Nevada).
Although the planned rate of expansion was not maintained, largely because of the recession, by August 2011 Fresh & Easy operated 182 stores across Arizona, California and Nevada.
[57] The deal included Tesco loaning the venture £80m and retaining an option to buy back a stake in the business if Yucaipa succeeded in turning around the group's performance.
