Hypermarket chain Tesco Lotus, the Thai operation of British retailer Tesco, will move beyond brick and mortar stores with an online store to debut later this year.

According to Tesco Lotus CEO John Christie, the virtual store will be the retailer’s first online store in southeast Asia, joining Tesco’s online stores in Britain and Eastern Europe.

“My priority is to innovate to provide a better shopping experience and a wider product range for customers,” said Christie. “We will also enhance the quality of our fresh-food products, as they are important to our customers.

“Moreover, we will focus on our people, particularly career development and talent management, to ensure that we continue our business success in years to come.

“In the medium and long terms, I wish to see Tesco Lotus continue leading the retail industry in Thailand by bringing innovation to benefit our customers. I also wish to see Tesco Lotus grow alongside Thai suppliers, farmers, our people and our communities,” he added.

Aside from an online store, this year will also see Tesco Lotus revamping and modernising existing stores and opening new stores. The retailer plans to open at least 300 stores across all formats, from Express to Extra which are expected to create 9000 new jobs. The additional stores are estimated to cost seven billion baht (US$227.71 million).

“We are confident in the Thai economy and will continue our investment in 2012,” Christie said.

As of end of 2011, Tesco Lotus has 900 stores across Thailand.

GB