Tesco to create high street bank and plans telecoms move

by Daniel Farey-Jones, Brand Republic 29-Jul-08, 09:15

LONDON - Tesco has primed itself to push further into banking and telecoms services by taking full control of Tesco Personal Finance from Royal Bank of Scotland and moving UK marketing director Lance Batchelor to chief executive of Tesco Telecoms.

Batchelor will make the move in the next few months and will be replaced by Carolyn Bradley, currently the commercial director for added value foods.

Tesco's plans include turning the Tesco Personal Finance division into a retail bank, with a bigger presence in its stores, an expanded range of savings accounts and "possibly" current accounts. It has no plans to offer mortgages.

TPF was launched 11 years ago as a 50:50 joint venture with Royal Bank of Scotland, which Tesco has just bought out for £950m. The division currently offers savings accounts, credit cards, insurance and a cash machine network in Tesco stores.

TPF and Tesco Telecoms, which has so far focused on mobile, sit within Tesco's services division, along with its Tesco Direct internet retail and home shopping delivery operations.

Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, wants the division to grow its profits from their current level of close to £400m per year to £1bn.

Leahy said: "Services are bigger and faster-growing markets than food. As consumers look to make every pound work harder, it is a good time for Tesco to expand its presence."

Tesco has appointed its finance and strategy director Andrew Higginson as chief executive of retailing services, a board position. He will remain strategy director but step down as finance director once Tesco finds a replacement.

Under Higginson, Tesco has appointed Benny Higgins -- a former head of retail banking at RBS and HBOS -- as chief executive of TPF. As Tesco Telecoms chief executive Batchelor will also report to Higginson.