Sir John Edward Cohen (6 October 1898–24 March 1979), born Jacob Edward Kohen and commonly known as Jack Cohen, was a British businessman who founded the Tesco supermarket chain. He was born in Whitechapel in the East End of London, the son of a Avroam Kohen, an immigrant Polish-Jewish tailor, and his first wife, Sime Zamremba. October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in leap years). ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Tesco plc is a UK based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. ... Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) This Flagship Randalls store in Houston, Texas is an example of an upscale supermarket. ... Whitechapel is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom. ... The East End of London, known locally as the East End, is an area, with no formal authority or boundaries, that spans a number of administative districts of London in England. ... A tailor attending to a customer in Hong Kong. ...

He began his working life as an apprentice tailor to his father but in 1917 he joined the Royal Flying Corps where he served as a canvas maker. Upon his demobilization in 1919 he established himself as a market stall holder in Hackney, in London's East End by purchasing surplus NAAFI stock with his demob money. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... The Hackney Empire is one of the oldest surviving music halls in Britain. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The East End of London, known locally as the East End, is an area, with no formal authority or boundaries, that spans a number of administative districts of London in England. ... The NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) (pronounced NAFF-ee) is a non-profit retaining organization created by the British government in 1921 to run recreational establishments needed by the Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. ...

He soon became the owner of a number of market stalls, and started a wholesale business. In 1924, he created the Tesco brand name from the initials of a tea supplier, T. E. Stockwell (formally Messrs Torring and Stockwell of Mincing Lane), and the first two letters of his surname. The first two Tesco stores opened at Becontree and Burnt Oak in 1931. By 1939, Cohen owned a hundred Tesco stores. Wholesaling consists of the sale of goods/merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services (WTO - World Trade Organization). ... Becontree is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in East London. ... Burnt Oak is a vibrant multi-ethnic suburb in the London Borough of Barnet south of Edgware. ...

Sometime around 1930 he changed his name by deed poll to John Edward at suggestion of his bank manager whose staff had trouble distinguishing between the many Jacob Cohens banking at the Mare Street branch in Hackney.

In 1948, he witnessed the American trend for self-service supermarkets, and opened the first such shop in Britain. Around 1949, Cohen moved to Finchley, where he bought a block of flats called Moss Hall Court. Finchley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, London, England. ...

He was married to Sarah Fox, daughter of an immigrant Russian-Jewish tailor. They had two daughters, Shirley and Irene, the former now Dame Shirley Porter, former leader of Westminster Council, and an Israeli resident. Dame Shirley Porter (born November 29, 1930) is a controversial British former local government leader. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ...

Cohen was knighted in 1969.

Jeffrey Archer's novel As the Crow Flies was influenced by his life. Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English author and former politician. ... As the Crow Flies is a novel by Jeffrey Archer. ...

External links

• EastLondonHistory.com information
• Find-A-Grave profile for Jack Cohen