Criticism of Tesco - Criticism of Tesco and Related Litigation

Criticism of Tesco and Related Litigation

The Tesco supermarket chain is often involved in litigation, usually from claims of personal injury from customers, claims of unfair dismissal from staff, and other commercial matters. Two notable cases were Ward v Tesco Stores Ltd, which set a precedent in so-called 'trip and slip' injury claims against retailers, and Tesco Supermarkets Ltd v Nattrass, which reached the House of Lords and became a leading case regarding the corporate liability of businesses for failures of their store managers (in a case of misleading advertising). Criticism of Tesco includes disapproval of the effects supermarket chains can have on farmers, suppliers and smaller competitors; along with claims of generally poor labour relations with its staff concerning sick leave regulations. Accusations concerning the use of cheap and/or child labour in Bangladesh amongst other places, have also arisen since 2000.

Tesco has been heavily criticised by the media in the UK and Ireland, among other places, over its comparatively more ruthless and harsh business tactics compared to its rivals, all of whom stand charged, like Tesco, of bullying farmers to lower their prices to unsustainable levels. Waitrose was the only major supermarket to come out of this accusation relatively unscathed. Other less prominent disputes have occurred in Thailand and Hungary.

Tesco has been accused of abandoning the UK Government's planned Eco-town at Hanley Grange in Cambridge.

Tesco has been subject to several claims of apparently out-of-date food being 'back-labelled' to appear still to be within date, poor café hygiene and a staff member contracting legionnaires' disease in the Wrexham store.

Tesco has been involved in the following cases in the areas of employment law, personal injury, intellectual property disputes and taxation, amongst others.