LONDON, June 24, 2026, 14:04 (BST)
- Tesco is now letting 16- and 17-year-olds get their own in-store Clubcard, but they can only join if an adult Clubcard member invites them.
- Tesco’s sales were up 1.2% for the 12 weeks to June 14, but its market share dropped by 0.1 percentage point. Sainsbury’s reported 2.0% sales growth in the same period.
- Tesco has now used £376.7 million of its £750 million share buyback program, or 50.2%, after it bought 6 million shares on Tuesday.
Tesco now lets 16- and 17-year-olds sign up for its Clubcard loyalty scheme, starting Wednesday. The grocer wants to reach younger customers with the programme, which already serves more than 24 million households in the UK. Tesco said over 80% of its sales come from Clubcard members.
Tesco’s digital card allows teens to get Clubcard Prices and earn points for vouchers, but they need an invite from an adult Clubcard holder. The card only works in stores—there’s no access for online grocery shopping or Scan as You Shop.
Tesco is opening up Clubcard access to younger shoppers for the first time, membership and loyalty boss Shama Wilson said. Wilson said these members are now able to pick up the £3.85 lunchtime meal deal and collect points for future buys.
Tesco’s latest launch comes on the heels of sluggish market data. Sales at Tesco were up 1.2% for the 12 weeks to June 14, holding market share at 28.0%, according to Worldpanel by Numerator. Sainsbury’s booked 2.0% growth and a 15.3% share. Lidl gained 0.5 percentage point, landing at 8.7%. Grocery inflation over the period hit 3.0%. Promotions drove 30.4% of total spend.
Tesco reported in a filing that it picked up 6 million shares on June 23, paying an average 444.56p a share. Since April 22, Tesco has now bought 82.64 million shares for cancellation, shelling out a total of £376.7 million. The numbers in the filing point to an average buyback price of about 456p, which is about 2.5% higher than what Tesco paid on Tuesday.
Tesco shares edged up 0.1% to 445.3 pence in London as of 0938 BST.
Tesco posted a 1.8% gain in UK like-for-like sales for the first quarter last week. Like-for-likes strip out any store openings or closures. The supermarket held its full-year adjusted operating profit outlook at £3.0 billion to £3.3 billion, after reporting £3.152 billion last year. Adjusted profit removes what Tesco calls exceptional items.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said last year’s numbers were tough to beat, calling the prior-year comparison “unusually strong.” “I wouldn’t be reading too much into it,” Murphy added. Charles Stanley’s Garry White said holding on to the guidance “should reassure investors.” Reuters
Tesco could face pressure to put more money into discounts if competitors keep outpacing it. The British Retail Consortium says food inflation is likely to rise in the next few months as costs linked to the Iran conflict hit the market. More money on prices, plus those extra costs, could drag Tesco’s yearly profit to the lower end of its guidance.
