I think that's more a symptom of poor intra-company communication than a lack of data. In several other publications from various pro- and anti-Tesco sources, I

I think that's more a symptom of poor intra-company communication than a lack of data. In several other publications from various pro- and anti-Tesco sources, I've seen pretty much universal agreement that the datasaet generated by all users of the Tesco loyalty/frequent-shopper card is about the best data of that type in the world, and certainly the best in the UK. Since they make such a big deal out of using the Tesco card, they have a unique ability to track Tesco shoppers across locations and times, and see who's buying what and where they're doing it - and when you add in all the other non-food services Tesco sells, the data can generate a very good picture of their shoppers. The brunt of all that is that Tesco is very good at finding patterns in sales, predicting what new products will take off (and in what areas), and when something will be popular. From this, at least if you live in the UK, it's likely that Tesco has a better idea what you're going to buy when you walk into a supermarket than you do.