The Lean Supply Chain: Managing the Challenge at Tesco

WINNER: Les Plumes des Achats 2016 - Prix des Associations (1st edition)

Over the last two decades Tesco has emerged as a dominant player in the UK market and a leading global retailer. The Lean Supply Chain explores how Tesco, over the last 20 years or so, has built its business around supply chain excellence. As a mega-retailer, Tesco has learnt to create a balanced supply chain system, supporting suppliers' needs as well as customers' requirements. This perspective, and an ambition to act sustainably, has underpinned a rebuilding of trust in the Tesco brand and a resurgence in commercial fortunes.

This fully updated edition of The Lean Supply Chain contains new chapters on Tesco's current strategy, rebuilding brand trust and its CSR agenda. It charts the principles of lean thinking, customer loyalty and simplicity which were used by Tesco to frame its supply chain strategy and draws upon the authors' deep knowledge of how the retailer has dealt with challenges and market changes to provide lessons for other businesses, large or small, who wish to place how they manage their supply chains at the heart of their competitive strategy.

Barry Evans' early career involved a variety of roles in Logistics/Distribution with Watney Mann, Rank Hovis McDougall and Royal Mail. This was followed by roles in Tesco plc, including Lean Process Manager in Tesco Supply Chain Development. He joined the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff Business School as a Senior Research Associate. Now retired, he still does some relief teaching at the Business School.

Mr Evans' co-authored work, The Lean Supply Chain, published by Kogan Page, won the Les Plumes des Achats et Supply Chain 2016 - Prix des Associations award in December 2016.

Professor Robert Mason has a business background, mainly in a variety of roles with M&S. Since 2001 he has pursued an academic career, gaining his PhD in 2009. He is now a Professor in Logistics and Programme Director for the MSc Sustainable Supply Chain Management programme at Cardiff Business School. He is also Chair of Cardiff Business School's Shadow Management Board. He has led and participated in a number of research programmes, including with Tesco as a partner, and has published over 125 papers on logistics, supply chain and operations management related issues.
Professor Mason also co-authored with Barry Evans Marketing- and Logistics- Led Organisations, published by Kogan Page in 2017. The first edition of The Lean Supply Chain, co-authored by the same authors and also published by Kogan Page, won the Les Plumes des Achats et Supply Chain 2016 - Prix des Associations award in December 2016.