Will Free Fruit Giveaway Change Customer Attitudes Toward Tesco?

Following the lead of an innovative Tesco store manager in Lincolnshire, the British grocery retailer has decided to test market the idea of giving away free fruit to children at 15 of its stores. The stores will take part in a four-week trial during which boxes of apples, bananas and oranges will be placed at entrances for parents to give to children. Though Tesco says the test is based on altruistic intentions, a more practical agenda may be in play. The company is locked in a battle for customers with grocery discounters and online food shopping sites. It is also dealing with some bad press due to an accounting scandal and shopper perceptions of high prices and poor customer service.