Tesco is rolling out a single global network as part of its on-going IT centralisation programme.

The network provides internet connectivity for its 12 international businesses, both in head offices and stores, for customers, staff and suppliers. Tesco is rolling it out at the moment with supplier Verizon.

Tomas Kadlec, Tesco’s group infrastructure IT director, said: “We have 12 businesses around the world and we wanted to centralise, consolidate and converge our head office infrastructure, and this is part of that.”

Tesco has two separate IT strategies for different parts of the business – some areas, such as head office infrastructure, are being centralised, while others are being decentralised to allow staff to use the technologies best suited to local customers.

The grocer says the new centralised network will enable new technologies to be rolled out more quickly and cheaply across the entire business.