Many shoppers have been left baffled to learn the clever meaning behind the Tesco brand name, as many had no idea it had such a long history.
For many, brand names are often just words they say without thinking about where they might have originated from. But the truth is, many companies agonise over their branding. Supermarkets are no exception – even though many customers might not think twice about how the stores got their names in the first place.
This was the case for one Tesco shopper, who took to Reddit's 'Casual UK' subreddit to share they'd only just figured out the meaning behind the popular supermarket's name. They wrote: 'Just been thinking before Tesco was called Tesco it was called T.E. Stockwell and Co. So does that mean Tesco's official name is just Tes company? TES for T.E Stockwell and company?'
In the comments section, people were quick to clarify some details about the Tesco name that the original poster got wrong. One said: 'The name came about after Jack Cohen bought a shipment of tea from Thomas Edward Stockwell. He made new labels using the initials of the supplier's name (TES), and the first two letters of his surname (CO), forming the word TESCO.'
On the official Tesco website, you can find even more information about the supermarket's history. It explained that, in 1919, a man named Jack Cohen began selling surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London, using the demob money he'd gotten from leaving the Royal Flying Corp at the end of the Great War. Five years later, in 1924, Jack sold his first 'Tesco' branded item, with the name derived from the initials of TE Stockwell, a partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jack's surname.
Jack's shop idea quickly grew – and he opened his first Tesco store in Burnt Oak, Edgware, north London in 1929. This later blossomed into his store empire. Today, Tesco stores have opened all over the UK, and have even gone abroad, with stores having opened in Czechia, Ireland, Slovakia and Hungary.
