Jack Cohen (businessman)
| Sir Jack Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 October 1898 London, U.K. |
| Died | 24 March 1979 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah (Cissie) Fox |
| Children | 2, including Shirley Porter |
| Parent(s) | Avroam Kohen Sime Zamremba |
| Relatives | Hyman Kreitman (son-in-law) |
Sir John Edward Cohen (6 October 1898 – 24 March 1979), born Jacob Edward Kohen and commonly known as Sir Jack Cohen, was an English grocer who founded the Tesco supermarket chain.
Cohen was born in London and grew up in Whitechapel. His family was Jewish: his father, Avroam Kohen, was a Polish immigrant from Łódź who worked as a tailor, and his mother was Sime Zamremba. He was named Jacob Edward Kohen, but was known as Jack from an early age. He was educated at the London County Council elementary school on Rutland Street until he was aged 14 and then began his working life as an apprentice tailor to his father. His mother died in 1915 and his father remarried. He became estranged from his father after an argument about his career choice as a grocer.
In 1917, he volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps where he used his tailoring skills as a canvas maker for balloons and other aircraft. He served in France, and also in Egypt and Palestine. He was on board a ship that was sunk by a mine outside Alexandria in 1917. He returned to England after contracting malaria, and was demobilised in 1919.
He married Sarah (Cissie) Fox, daughter of an immigrant Russian-Jewish tailor, in 1924. Cissie was a great supporter of her husband's business interests, so much so that the money they received as wedding gifts was invested in a wholesale venture. They had two daughters, Sybil Irene born 1926 and Shirley born 1930. Irene married Hyman Kreitman (1926–2005) and Shirley married Leslie Porter (1920–2005).
He continued to work after a colostomy operation in 1958, even after standing down as chairman of Tesco in 1969. He died in London.
Cohen was reluctant to return to tailoring after the First World War, and he established himself as a market stall holder in Hackney, in London's East End by purchasing surplus NAAFI stock with his £30 demob money. At each market the traders would gather and, at a signal they would race to their favoured pitch. Cohen could not run fast so he simply threw his cap at the spot and this could beat anyone. He soon became the owner of a number of market stalls, and started a wholesale business. Initially the other stalls were run by members of the family but gradually non-family members were added. Cohen and his wife worked 7 days a week, starting at dawn and counting money until late.
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