Cancer Research UK and Tesco are celebrating a major milestone: £75 million raised over their 25-year partnership, which began in 2001. The supermarket’s customers and staff have supported the charity through bake sales, prize draws, bucket collections, marathons, treks, and golf days.
Tesco also served as the headline sponsor for Race for Life for more than 20 years, an event that encouraged millions of people to participate. The partnership has gone beyond fundraising, with Tesco working alongside the charity to promote cancer awareness and earlier diagnosis.
How the money was raised and what it paid for
The £75 million came from a mix of grassroots efforts and large-scale campaigns. In stores and pharmacies, Tesco helped customers access information about potential cancer symptoms. Since 2018, more than 20,000 Tesco colleagues have taken part in the Cancer Awareness in the Workplace programme.
Ashwin Prasad, UK CEO at Tesco, said: “This partnership means so much to all of us at Tesco. For 25 years, our colleagues and customers have shown incredible generosity and energy in supporting Cancer Research UK, helping to raise an extraordinary £75 million for life-saving research.”
He added that the two organizations worked together on campaigns to get people to check potential cancer symptoms and pushed for mandatory reporting of healthy food sales across the food industry.
Related: Lindt Unveils Luxurious New Ice Cream Flavor
A partnership that evolved with the times
Long corporate charity partnerships can sometimes feel like marketing exercises, but Tesco and Cancer Research UK have steadily expanded their scope. The early years focused on simple fundraising, but the relationship later grew to include public health advocacy and workplace education. That shift mirrors a broader trend in retail philanthropy, where companies are expected to use their reach for more than just writing checks.
Prasad noted: “Together, we’ve done far more than just raise funds. We’ve worked alongside Cancer Research UK on campaigns to encourage people to get potential cancer symptoms checked, helping raise awareness and support earlier diagnosis.”
The company also joined forces with the charity to call for healthier food policies, a move that aligns with Tesco’s own commercial interests in selling more nutritious products. The partnership has now lasted a quarter-century, a rare duration in an industry where corporate sponsorships often shift every few years.
Tesco continues to host fundraising events in its stores, and the Cancer Awareness in the Workplace programme remains active. The £75 million figure represents one of the largest sums raised by a single corporate partner for the charity, according to the report.
