Tesco knows a lot about tailoring its products for different markets, but perhaps not quite enough. The company's annual review and financial statement has just arrived on the Margin's desk, and while its cover may go down well among avid viewers of daytime soap operas, for the rest of us it borders on the how should one put this unsettling?
Picture a thirty-something woman standing beside a large Tesco trolley, a teenager and a young husband-type. In her arms is a cute, blonde toddler, holding a baby's bottle. Man, woman and teenager are all gazing lovingly, with smug smiles on their faces, at the child. Written over this full-cover picture is the following catchy slogan: "Continually increasing VALUE for customers to earn their lifetime LOYALTY."
Inside, there is evidence that Tesco is touchy about accusations that it isn't stocking enough local produce. A photograph of its Athlone, Co Westmeath, store shows a red-haired woman, dressed in green and orange. Her trolley is like an "I-Spy" game for agri-patriots: Irish Spring Cola, Irish Cereals, Shamrock Rice, Brennan's Bread. The final flourish is a rolled up copy of the Irish Independent.
