For most Brits, Tesco is simply Tesco — the supermarket giant you pop into for bread, milk, or a Friday night meal deal. But many shoppers are only just finding out that the name actually has a surprising origin.
Tesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen, who started by selling surplus groceries from a market stall in London’s East End. The company name first appeared in the 1920s, and it wasn’t just a catchy brand — it was a personal mash-up.
The “TES” comes from T.E. Stockwell, a tea supplier Cohen worked with in the early days. The “CO” is taken from Cohen’s own surname. Put together, they created TES-CO — a simple name that stuck, and eventually became one of the UK’s biggest retail brands.
From a single market stall, Tesco has grown into a multinational retailer with over 3,400 UK stores, employing hundreds of thousands and serving millions of customers every week. Yet even with its huge presence, plenty of people have gone years without realising the meaning behind the name.
It’s a neat reminder that even the biggest brands can have humble — and sometimes hidden — beginnings. Next time you’re doing the weekly shop, you’ll know exactly where that blue-and-red sign really comes from.
