Tesco has announced plans to introduce potentially life-saving defibrillators in over 900 of its largest stores in the UK.
The move addresses statistics from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) that reveal that over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital in the UK every year, but fewer than one in ten survive.
Tesco notes that for every minute without CPR and defibrillation, a person’s chance of survival decreases by around 10 per cent, and so it will install defibrillators in 729 of its Extra and Superstore outlets across the country, as well as in 178 Metro stores.
Tony Hoggett, Tesco UK chief operating officer, commented, "We are always looking for ways to help the communities we serve, and we know that having a defibrillator to hand can mean saving the life of someone suffering a cardiac arrest.
"This initiative has the potential to make a real difference to customers and colleagues all over the country."
Sara Askew, BHF head of survival, added, "We are delighted that Tesco is supporting BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign by making public-access defibrillators available in all its larger stores.
"Knowing vital CPR skills and having access to a defibrillator can often be the difference between life and death."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jenny Whelan. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
