From Ad-Hoc Staffing to Strategic Partner for Tesco PLC

Discover how Adecco supported the UK’s leading grocer over a decade-long journey to become a full strategic partner, leveraging our internal ecosystem to meet organisational challenges.

About the client

Tesco is a leading multinational retailer with more than 330,000 colleagues, aiming to serve customers every day with affordable, healthy, and sustainable food – to help them enjoy a better quality of life and an easier way of living.

The Challenge

As one of the UK’s largest grocery retailers, Tesco needed an agile recruitment partner who could flexibly adapt to their needs and meet a wide range of recruitment requirements.

Adecco has been supporting Tesco in the recruitment of temporary employees since 2010. In 2014, we entered into a Managed Service Provider relationship to enable us to better support their strategic priorities. As part of this service, there was a requirement to:

  • Integrate new brands into the MSP service.
  • Identify efficiencies in the recruitment and supply chain processes.
  • Provide technology and coaching solutions.
  • Support employees as the organisation evolves.

From software solutions and attraction campaigns to career transition and coaching, Tesco needed a true strategic partner with the breadth and depth of services to support them through a wide range of business challenges.

Our Solution

By leveraging the power of the Adecco Group ecosystem, we ensure that Tesco receive the maximum benefit from our partnership.

The relationship is managed by our Client Services Director and Strategic Solutions Director, who work directly with Tesco executives to oversee operational activity, share insights and expertise, and align all stakeholders to the strategic roadmap.

Our directors leverage the unique strengths of our ecosystem of brands, while Tesco’s internal expertise lead ensures their various departments and subsidiaries benefit from the entire MSP relationship.

The Adecco Group infrastructure has been integral to supporting Tesco’s strategy through a diverse array of initiatives. These include:

  • Adecco completing a project to ensure that worker and supplier engagement was through the most cost-effective route, launching a bespoke pharmacy locum scheduling tool for over 400 stores, and implementing a master vendor solution to support the recruitment of 200 employees for Tesco’s customer engagement centre in Dundee
  • Akkodis rolling out SAP Concur globally and training over 50,000 staff on the system to improve auditing and accounting procedures across the organisation
  • EZRA delivering a unique online training and development package to Tesco’s Women in Leadership cohort of 100 future female leaders.
  • LHH providing personalised long-term career pathways and executive career transition services to support Tesco employees as the organisation evolves

Alongside these projects, the MSP contract has expanded to cover multiple countries and the integration of new brands such as Tesco Mobile, with our highly experienced team ensuring a smooth process throughout by leveraging our technology, expertise, and infrastructure.

Speaking about the overall strategic partnership, representatives from both Tesco and Adecco had this to say:

"The Adecco Group has met the needs of the business even in challenging times."

Jamie Blackwell, Head of Global Sourcing – Corporate Services, Tesco

"It has been truly rewarding to work with a client who shares our core values, understands the benefit of a true strategic partnership, and invests the time and resources to bring it to life."

Daniel Shaw, Strategic Solutions Director, The Adecco Group

Key Results

Thanks to the commitment and strategic alignment between both parties, the relationship continues to expand and incorporate new services.

  • Increased the scope of service from 200 contingent workers in the UK to over 800 workers in multiple countries
  • Ensured the smooth integration of Tesco Mobile into the MSP contract
  • Made tangible improvements to process efficiency
  • Enhanced timesheet, shift management, and compliance processes within Tesco Pharmacy
  • Achieved a 90% engagement score and NPS score of +92 for career pathway support
  • Grew Tesco Technology LinkedIn followers by 76% through the implementation of a social strategy
  • Appointed as a cyber-SME partner to Tesco’s audit teams and data migration partner across Tesco Group and its subsidiaries
  • Awarded a high-priority RPO project commencing in 2024