1 Answer

Tesco started life in 1919 when Jack Cohen started selling surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. Mr Cohen made a profit of £1 from sales of £4 on his first day.

The Tesco brand first appeared five years later in 1924 when he bought a shipment of tea from a Mr T. E Stockwell. The initials and letters were combined to form Tes-co and in 1929 Mr Cohen opened the flagship Tesco store in Burnt Oak, North London.

The brand continued its rise in the 1930s when Mr Cohen built a headquaters and warehouse in North London, and in 1932 Tesco became a private limited company. In 1947 Tesco Stores (Holdings) Ltd floated on the stock exchange with a share price of 25p.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2788089/A-history-of-Tesco-The-rise-of-Britains-biggest-supermarket.html