Tesco boss Philip Clarke is understood to have conceded it was a major mistake to have no Tesco Clubcard coupon mailing in the run-up to Christmas and is now planning to ramp up the scheme as part of a strategic overhaul following last week’s disastrous results.
The blueprint to revitalise the fortunes of the retail giant also include improving the supermarket’s fresh food offering, boosting staffing levels, brightening up store layouts and overhauling its health and beauty offering.
One Tesco source is quoted as saying: “The lack of coupons was an own goal. It looks with the benefit of hindsight to have been a tactical error in not posting out Clubcard coupons this time round, which was probably done to offset the cost of the Big Price Drop campaign. Philip and his team is almost certain to reverse the move.”
Sainsbury’s, in particular, was widely seen as having benefited hugely from its Nectar coupons handed out at the tills for helping boost its sales in the third quarter by 1.2 per cent, excluding fuel and VAT.
The source added: “I would expect Clarke to have far more staff throughout the stores, whether that is on the tills or shelf-stacking. It has been a long-standing problem. Tesco went great guns in the Nineties, the growth of Tesco-poly, etc, and they had great success abroad. But it is accepted internally that they took too much cost out of the UK stores too soon. That will be rectified.”
Last week Tesco was accused on abandoning the Clubcard scheme in favour of a damaging price war, although at least one analyst – Mintel retail research director Richard Perk – called for the supermarket to scrap the loyalty scheme altogether.
This week it has already launched a “£5 off when you spend £40” voucher, although this is open to all consumers, not just Clubcard members.
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