Jack Cohen (businessman) - Career

Career

He was born in Chatham in the Medway area of Kent, to a Jewish family, the son of an Avram Kohen, a Polish immigrant who worked as a tailor, and his first wife, Sime Zamremb. He began his working life as an apprentice tailor to his father but in 1917 he joined the Royal Flying Corps where he served as a canvas maker. Upon his demobilisation in 1919 he established himself as a market stall holder in Hackney, in London's East End by purchasing surplus NAAFI stock with his demob money.

He soon became the owner of a number of market stalls, and started a wholesale business. Initially the other stalls were run by members of the family but gradually non-family members were added. Cohen and his wife worked 7 days a week, starting at dawn and counting money until late. At each market the traders would gather and, at a signal they would race to their favoured pitch. Cohen could not run fast so he simply threw his cap at the spot and this could beat anyone.

In 1924, he created the Tesco brand name from the initials of a tea supplier, T. E. Stockwell (formally Messrs Torring and Stockwell of Mincing Lane), and the first two letters of his surname. The market trading business became difficult to expand because partners tended to be unreliable so eventually he changed to high street shops without doors, looking and sounding as far as possible like market stalls. The first two Tesco stores opened at Becontree and Burnt Oak in 1931. By 1939, Cohen owned a hundred Tesco stores. His expansion was helped by the growth of new shopping centres. Retailers are often reluctant to be the first to sign a contract in a new centre lest they become the only ones. With his market experience and courage Cohen was often the one to take that risk and he had ways of drawing a crowd. Developers became keen to help him with his start-up costs because of his ability to get people into a new centre, with benefit to the other shops.

Sometime around 1930 he changed his name by deed poll to John Edward at the suggestion of his bank manager whose staff had trouble distinguishing between the many Jacob Cohens banking at the Mare Street branch of the Midland Bank in Hackney.

In 1932, having opened his first shops, Cohen travelled to the United States to review their self-service supermarkets. At the time he was not impressed and felt they would never be accepted in the UK. After the war he took another look and listened to his son-in-law Hyman Kreitman, who was very keen. He opened one of the first British supermarkets. The new strategy was led by Kreitman who understood how to manage this new style of shop and the crucial tasks of mass buying, selling and logistics. Tesco grew strongly. It gradually drew ahead of its rivals and took over many of them.

He was married to Sarah Fox, daughter of an immigrant Russian-Jewish tailor: they had two daughters, Shirley and Irene.

Cohen was knighted in 1969. Sir John and Lady Cohen supported a range of charities, giving their name to the Jewish Care facility, Lady Sarah Cohen House at Friern Barnet, north London.