1. Actively supporting local communities

We play a vital role in local communities providing good quality, affordable food and often much needed jobs and we’re determined that every Tesco store and every Tesco business is valued by local people because we do the right thing.

This means listening and responding to the needs and values of local communities, engaging positively on the issues that matter to them, and making lasting contributions that improve local areas.

Our most visible contribution to communities is delivered through our shops. We regularly open stores in areas which other businesses, including retailers, have abandoned or neglected. We are particularly proud of our Regeneration Partnership programme in the UK, offering job opportunities to the long-term unemployed.

In May we launched our first ‘Regeneration Store’ in Hungary at Debrecen.100 of the 165 new staff were previously long-term unemployed and 42 of them attended a course organised by the Regional Labour Centre to help them readjust to the routine of daily work.

Our stores are often a focal point of the local community, a place where people meet and interact. In Turkey, for example, our Tesco Kipa Family Clubs provide free activities and classes for our 60,000 members, ranging from chess to salsa dancing, from learning English to cooking. And in South Korea we have over 100 Schools of Extended Education where customers and their families can access courses such as well-being, art and English.

But beyond this, our customers and staff look to us to get behind local causes, whether that means providing funds for a local charity, giving visibility to a local campaign, or providing opportunities for our customers and staff to help on local issues.

Community Champions

We now have over 750 Community Champions in our stores, helping us communicate effectively with local communities. By giving our employees the time and tools to work with their neighbourhood, we can make a real difference. Our Community Champions work with their local communities on activities including:

• giving store tours to local school children or going into local primary schools to talk about healthy eating;
• organising collections or bag packing for a local charity;
• meeting the fire service or local charities to find out how we can help them; or
• getting our staff and customers involved in events such as Race for Life.