2.3 million votes helped Tesco’s newly launched 57 million forint program reach its goal

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 03. 05. 10:48

More than 2.3 million votes were cast by Tesco customers between January 20 and February 16 in the voting phase of the department store chain’s renewed Start for the Future application program. In the first round of the initiative, which primarily focuses on improving the living conditions of children and young adults under 25, the department store chain provided HUF 57 million to 176 organizations, which customers could decide on the distribution of. The most active among them were those who entered the Tesco Express on Köztelek Street in Győr, 96 percent of whom threw a token symbolizing a vote into the collector. The winning applicants can spend HUF 500,000, HUF 300,000, or HUF 150,000 on the implementation of their local project in all 59 districts across the country, depending on the order determined by the tokens.

Last October, Tesco launched its “Start for the Future” grant program, which replaced the supermarket chain’s eight-year-old “You Choose, We Help” program. The community initiative aims to provide support to institutions and organizations across the country that want to improve the living conditions of people under 25 living in their immediate environment. Similar to the previous grant program, Tesco has put the decision on how to allocate funding for projects in their own neighborhood in the hands of its customers.

During the voting period from January 20 to February 16, 2025, Tesco customers were able to vote for, among other things, a gastronomic experience program, a music camp, a board game club, a city adventure tour, a charity family sports day, a study trip for disadvantaged students, a development session for students with learning difficulties, and a fishing daycare center. The local significance of the initiative is clearly demonstrated by the fact that they actively participated in the decision-making process and more than 2.3 million tokens were thrown into the collectors located in the stores, which is the highest participation rate in the history of the program and its predecessor compared to the number of customers. The most votes, 53,420, were cast in the Tesco Extra in Szeged, while the highest proportion of customers (96 percent) voted in the Tesco Express on Köztelek Street in Győr.

Based on the number of tokens, the company supports 176 applicant organizations nationwide with approximately HUF 57 million, separately rewarding the initiative of the Sarkad Szalontai úti local government member school in Békés county, the Szomolyai Hungarian Roma Association in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, and the HajráAnyu Public Benefit Association in Hajdú-Bihar county for their creativity and comprehensive approach. These applications are also closely aligned with Tesco’s values, as they prioritize sustainable operations, diversity, and community cooperation.