Tesco adds free wi-fi to 919 stores

The UK's largest grocer, Tesco, is working with BT to provide free Wi-Fi to customers in its Tesco Extras and superstores across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Supermarket group Tesco is promising "free and fast Wi-Fi access" in its Extra stores and larger outlets in the UK and Republic of Ireland, after agreeing a new partnership with BT.

The service has been rolled out to 806 Tesco Extra and superstores in the UK and 113 stores in Ireland, and will be available on smartphone and tablet devices. Offering in-store Wi-Fi is not new for Tesco, but the new deal with BT sees the retailer use the tech company's superfast Wi-Fi service, where available, to boost stores' bandwidth up to 76Mb.

In addition to providing capacity for general internet usage, Tesco will look to point its customers in the direction of in-house offerings such as downloading Clubcard vouchers, recipes and in-store offers.

Research carried out by BT and ICM last year shows that 44% of people use Wi-Fi in shops to browse items or compare prices, while a separate study made public today by IGD indicated that grocery shoppers are keen to use smartphones to enhance their in-store experience, particularly if the process offers them better value.

Tomas Kadlec, group technology director at Tesco, said: "Customers now want the same kind of experience in-store as they enjoy online, with fast and convenient access to product information, pricing and offers at the touch of their fingertips.

"We were the first supermarket in the UK to offer free Wi-Fi and the first to launch online shopping. We're now bringing these innovations together to put our customers in control with better service and value than ever before."

Customers looking to access the in-store Wi-Fi should select 'Tesco Wi-Fi' or 'BT', but in some cases the selection will appear as 'BT Openzone'.

Source: Ben Sillitoe - Essential Retail.

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