Asda was formed in 1965 as a merger between the Asquith chain of supermarkets—originally named Queens—and the dairy firm Associated Dairies. The name "Asda" is a contraction of ASquith and DAiries. Prior to this merger, the business operated under the names Associated Dairies and Farm Stores Ltd and the Queens supermarkets.
2023. Asda completed the acquisition of EG Group's UK and Ireland business – creating a new value-led consumer champion. The move accelerated Asda's growth into convenience and foodservice through the acquisition of 356 EG sites – all of which later became Asda Express sites.
The first own-brand product sold, which Jack promised would bring unequalled value, was Tesco Tea - before the company was called Tesco. The name comes from the initials of TE Stockwell, who was a partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jack's surname.
By the 90s, ASDA was nearing bankruptcy and there were rumors of a merger. In June 1999 it was announced that Walmart had placed a $10.8 billion bid to acquire Asda. So, Walmart originally acquired Asda in 1999, retaining its company name and marking Walmart's entry into the UK Market.
Eventually, Walmart looked for an exit plan, but when the planned merger with Sainsbury's fell through, they eventually sold to TDR Capital and the Issa Brothers, a pair of Blackburn-based entrepreneurs who owned the successful Euro Garages chain.
Lidl was founded by Josef Schwarz when he became a partner in fruit wholesaler Sudfruchte Grosshandel Lidl & Co. in 1930. The company was destroyed during WWII, but was resurrected in the seventies with Schwarz's son Dieter and was named Lidl after the painter Ludwig Lidl.
The 's indicates that Tesco owns the store. We use the same phrases when going to someone's house, as in "I'm going to Sarah's" which is a shortened form of "I'm going to Sarah's house".
In October 2020, as part of a consortium with TDR Capital, the brothers became majority stakeholders in the British supermarket chain Asda. From August 2021 to September 2024, Mohsin served as Asda's chief executive. As of April 2025, Mohsin is a minority owner of Asda, whilst Zuber has since sold his shareholding.
TDR Capital and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice – the PE owners of UK supermarket chains Asda and Morrisons respectively – have raised a combined £6.5bn through the sale of property assets, as both groups seek to reduce debt accumulated during highly leveraged buyouts, according to a report by the Financial Times.
Tesco is named from a blend of the founder's surname, Jack Cohen, and the initials of his tea supplier, T.E. Stockwell (TES), creating "TESCO," which first appeared in 1924 on their own-brand tea before becoming the company's name. The name combines TES (from T.E. Stockwell) and CO (from Cohen) into one memorable word for their new line of tea, which was then applied to the expanding grocery business.
Urban myth claims the German discounter rivals Aldi and Lidl were founded by two brothers. That isn't true. Both grocery store empires were founded by different families. Instead, it's actually Aldi's massive global empire that was split into two, with half owned by one brother and half by another.
In the summer of 1999, the Mexia Supermarket in Fort Worth Texas was abandoned with all the food inside. It rotted for a whole month before people in hazmat suits cleaned it up. Footage of the cleanup exists, but is mostly lost.
Morrisons wasn't always Morrisons; many of its larger stores were formerly Safeway supermarkets, which Morrisons acquired in 2004, rebranding the stores by 2005, while older sites might have been Fine Fare or Food Giant. The company itself started as a market stall in Bradford by William Morrison in 1899, growing into Wm Morrison (Provisions) Limited and then Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC.
Grocery sales in the UK are dominated by Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons. These are known as the Big Four supermarkets. Whenever one of these companies publishes any significant financial updates, the national media gives it heavy coverage.
Waitrose and its related brands are owned by the John Lewis Partnership (JLP), which is itself owned by its "partners." "Employee" (partner) shares are held in trust by the Partnership—their shares cannot be sold by the individual partners.
