Tesco Lotus remains committed to ‘growing, investing’ in Kingdom

“Tesco Lotus is the [parent company’s] largest business outside of the UK [home market]. Hence we remain committed to growing and investing in Thailand, and serving our customers here,” John Christie, chief executive officer, told a press conference yesterday.
The company operates more than 1,900 stores in 73 provinces and three online shopping platforms. The stores range in size from about 180 hypermarkets to 200 Talad stores and 1,500 Express shops, he said.
“Our plan for this year is to open stores in both large and small formats, while enhancing the online shopping platforms, to provide customers with access to high-quality products at affordable prices. 
“With more store openings this year, our total number of stores will be close to 2,000 by the end of our 2017 fiscal year. At the same time, we will continue to refurbish existing stores. 
“Last year we refurbished 18 hypermarkets, and this year we plan to upgrade a similar number of stores to provide customers with a better shopping experience,” he said. 
Christie declined to reveal the capital investment and types of branches to be developed and opened this year.
This is Tesco Lotus’ 23rd year of operating in Thailand, and the company remains very much devoted to supporting its customers and the economy here, he said. The company’s goal is to continue finding ways to serve shoppers better every day and to contribute to communities in which it operates, he added.
“We will also continue on the journey we began last year, to improve the fresh-food value chain from end to end, in order to uplift quality and drive down prices for our customers, while helping farmers gain a higher income.
“In doing so, we work closely with local farmers through every link of the supply chain, from planning production volume to giving them knowledge about safety and quality standards, which help increase yields and therefore farmers’ income. 
“In addition, we will invest in state-of-the-art machinery for packinghouses, transportation systems and distribution centres to preserve freshness. 
“At our stores, we will focus on providing great shopping experiences for our customers with |exciting product displays and enjoyable activities,” he said.
As part of a global network, Tesco Lotus shares expertise and draws on the strengths of other businesses within Tesco Group, Christie said. 
“What we do particularly well at Tesco Lotus is customer engagement, both in our stores and online. Our colleagues take part in fun activities that deliver a better shopping experience for our customers in our stores and shopping malls. 
“At the same time, we use the power of online to engage in two-way communications with our customers,” he said.
“Aside from communicating to them about our exciting promotions and discounts, we also build an emotional connection on popular digital platforms including Line and Facebook. 
“Every day, we talk to 39 million customers via these channels, as well as our own mobile applications. 
“Last year, Tesco Lotus was the first within the Tesco Group to have launched a Clubcard mobile app, so our customers can now check their points and redeem them very conveniently,” he said.
Besides fresh food, Tesco Lotus will continue to keep prices low for the products that matter the most to customers, Christie said. 
Last year, prices of baby products, rice and snacks were brought down and customers responded warmly. 
“We aspire for Tesco Lotus to be famous for great-quality fresh food at affordable prices, and for doing good things for our customers, colleagues and communities. 
“Hence we will invest our resources and energy in developing our colleagues and supporting our communities, from helping people during natural disasters to arranging donation programmes for the underprivileged. 
“In addition, we have incorporated social contributions into our business operations, such as being the first retailer in Thailand to donate surplus food from our stores and distribution centres to people in need and equipping farmers with business knowledge as we purchase fruit and vegetables directly from them. 
“We are proud that we have provided a great place to work for over 60,000 Tesco Lotus employees and contributed to communities in every part of Thailand. 
“We remain committed to continuing to do good things for them,” he added.