Tesco has confirmed a major new change it will soon roll out across its UK stores. The supermarket is following in the footsteps of Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury's and will soon be introducing digital labels to improve pricing accuracy.
The electronic shelf labels (ESL) will be introduced to four UK locations – an Express store and three supermarkets – and then will eventually be seen across Tesco's 3,000-store network.
Chinese technology firm Hanshow is behind the work of the labels, which operate by receiving information updates and price changes from the company's central office. The upgraded labels will allow customers to see the most up-to-date prices whilst shopping in store, easing staff members' daily routine, the firm says.
Tesco's UK operations managing director, Kevin Tindall, told Retail Week: “Moving to a digital system will not only support our sustainability ambitions by significantly reducing paper use across the Tesco estate, but it will also mean that our colleagues can focus on what matters most – serving our customers.”
Liangyan Li, senior vice president and head of global sales at Hanshow, added: “This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to improving store efficiency.”
Tesco's Royston and St Neots locations had already trialled the technology last year. It followed Morrisons becoming the first supermarket in the UK to trial it in October 2025.
ESL can now be seen in thousands of supermarket stores nationwide including Lidl, Co-op, Waitrose and Asda. Sainsbury's also welcomed the new technology across its stores last summer.
The digital labels are expected to take over Tesco stores over the next two years as the firm implements the changes from store to store.
In other Tesco news, the supermarket also recently introduced robot cleaners across its Express stores. Tesco stressed that the machines are designed to work alongside employees rather than replace them, with staff continuing to play a central role in running stores.
