Beijing Tesco Draws Animal Activists' Ire

Tesco today opened its first own-brand store in China and drew renewed criticism from animal welfare groups over its decision to sell live turtles and frogs.

A large store opened in Beijing under the name Le Gou Tesco, featuring a storefront design in Tesco's familiar red and blue.

Le Gou means "happy shopper" and is the name of a chain of more than 40 stores which Tesco already has an interest in with Ting Hsin, a Chinese joint venture.

Ting Hsin owns the Hymall trading name which runs the chain of 44 Le Gou or "happy shopper" stores, which sell live turtles. Tesco said more of these stores would become Le Gou Tesco shops over time.

The UK's biggest supermarket chain defended its decision to sell live turtles in its Chinese stores, saying they were part of the local diet and widely consumed "alongside other meats".

Tesco has been attacked by animal rights groups over turtle sales since it began its expansion into China three years ago. Campaign groups have become more vocal since late last year, when Tesco increased its stake in Ting Hsin to 90%.

Care for the Wild International (CWI) called on Tesco to sacrifice the "tiny" profits that are made from selling turtles and frogs.

The group said the animals suffered terrible pain and that there were "terrible conservation and welfare horrors" linked to the turtle and tortoise food business; it said up to 20 million turtles a year were killed for food in China.

"Even contemplating the experience of a turtle whose shell, limbs and entrails have been cut away, but which survives in this state for hours, is unimaginable," a statement from CWI said.

It added there were no significant welfare laws in China that protected the turtles, and certainly nothing comparable to the welfare regulations in the UK.

Tesco said it was not true to say there were no regulations in China. A statement from the firm said its stores in China only used farmed turtles and frogs which are not caught in the wild and are "therefore sourced in a sustainable way and do not cause damage to endangered populations".

Tesco added: "We believe that it would be wrong to impose our values on other countries, regardless of local feeling, attitudes and tradition."

The retail giant had planned a low-key opening today ahead of an official launch next week. However, today's opening of Tesco's first own-brand store is a landmark in the firm's ambitions of expansion in the country.

It comes in the same week as the UK's Competition Commission said it would examine whether Tesco is now too big and powerful in the UK to the extent other operators cannot compete nationally or locally.

China's new Tesco own-brand store will compete with other international retail firms which are more established in in the country. Carrefour and WalMart have been present for several years in China under their own names.