Jack Cohen (businessman)

Sir Jack Cohen
Born	Jacob Kohen 6 October 1898 Whitechapel, London, England
Died	24 March 1979 (1979-03-25) (aged 80) Westminster, London, England
Resting place	Willesden Jewish Cemetery
Occupation	Grocer
Spouse	Sarah (Cissie) Fox ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	2, including Shirley Porter
Relatives	Hyman Kreitman (son-in-law)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1917–1919
Unit	Royal Flying Corps
Battles/wars	World War I

Sir John Edward Cohen (born Jacob Kohen; 6 October 1898 – 24 March 1979) was an English businessman who founded the Tesco supermarket chain. His company is the market leader of groceries in the UK, and the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues in 2011.^[1]

After serving in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, Cohen opened a market stall in Hackney, London in 1919. The first Tesco store opened in Edgware, north London, and by 1939 he had more than 100 stores, including the first stores outside London. He then floated the company onto the London Stock Exchange in 1947. As chairman of Tesco Stores (Holdings) Ltd. Cohen was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969.