Lotus's

On 9 March 2020, CP Group submitted the winning bid to reacquire Tesco Lotus, in addition to Tesco operations in Malaysia, for about US$10 billion. The purchase needs the approval of Thailand's Trade Competition Commission as the new company could constitute a monopoly, given that CP Group already owns 7-Eleven convenience stores and the Makro cash-and-carry business. The sale was approved in Malaysia in November 2020 and in Thailand in December 2020, with the rebranding of the acquired stores beginning in February 2021, replacing the Tesco corporate branding with that of Lotus's. Through the Tesco acquisition in Malaysia, Lotus's operates 64 rebranded Tesco outlets in the country.

Lotus’s rebranded look branding is aimed at attracting younger shoppers. Its drop‑pin logo symbolises Lotus’s as a one‑stop destination, while the “S” stands for “smart,” representing an emphasis on sustainability, efficiency, and the use of technology.

Controversy

Libel lawsuit

In late-2007 and early-2008, Tesco Lotus sued three critics for libel. It lost the case against Jit Siratranont, former MP and now vice-general secretary of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, dropped the case against newspaper columnist Kamol Kamoltrakul on the grounds of his ill-health, and obtained a written apology from a newspaper business editor Nongnart Harnvilai.

Animal welfare concerns

The NGO World Animal Protection reported that Tesco Lotus uses sow stalls in their pork production process. The practice confines sows in cages no bigger than a refrigerator in order to use them as "breeding machines". Sow stalls have been banned in the UK since 1999 as well as in other jurisdictions. World Animal Protection succeeded in persuading Charoen Pokphand Foods, a major Thai pork producer, to get mother pigs out of cages in their Thai operations by 2025.