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Partnership between Tesco and Buy Women Built spotlights female-founded brands

The partnership featured dedicated Buy Women Built in-store displays across more than 150 Tesco UK stores, showcasing female-founded brands.

Tesco has officially joined Buy Women Built, a movement founded in 2021 by Sahar Hashemi, the entrepreneur behind the British coffee bar and deli franchise chain, Coffee Republic.

The UK-based consumer movement is designed to build visibility in stores by spotlighting brands built by women, connecting shoppers to the products and the stories behind them.

For International Women’s Day 2026, which was celebrated worldwide on 8 March, Tesco partnered with the movement, launching dedicated “stacks”, which are physical out-of-aisle displays. The stacks were placed in over 150 stores across the UK, and highlighted brands including Pip & Nut, Bio & Me, Bold Beans, Fearne & Rosie, Sauce Shop, and Little Moons, among others.

According to the Buy Women Built website, there is “lots more to come” regarding the partnership with Tesco.

Hashemi, who was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the UK economy and to charity, told Ingredients Network that the partnership is part of the movement seeking to bridge the £200 billion (€2.3 bn) economic gap caused by the UK’s low female entrepreneurship rates.

Speaking on the significance of the retail giant’s involvement, Hashemi said: “We don't have enough [female] entrepreneurs. We talk about how women don't get enough funding. But you know, the issue is not actually that. The issue is you can't be what you can't see.

“What we need to do is first show people how many brands are built by women; how wonderful those brands are. They [consumers] probably already know the brands. As we can see, they're already stocked in Tesco and all these retailers.”

The power of visibility for female entrepreneurs and founders

The core mission of the movement and of the Tesco and Buy Women Built partnership is to bridge the visibility gap that currently hinders female entrepreneurs and founders.

Hashemi explained that many beloved brands people are consuming daily are female-founded: “And yet consumers don’t know they’re women-built”.

“Why is that a problem? It's a problem because in the UK, we don't have enough female entrepreneurs. If you look up the 2019 Rose Review of Entrepreneurship, the UK is 30% behind other developed countries […] and that costs the UK economy £200 billion,” she said.

By putting these founders front and centre in stores, the movement aims to change consumers' perceptions and show the world what women have built, rather than focusing on what is missing, such as funding.

Retailers as gatekeepers of change

Hashemi explained that she began Buy Women Built to bring female-founded brands together.

“But the retailers have so much power, right? Because they control what the consumer sees,” she said, adding that to have one of the UK’s biggest retailers on board sends a powerful and inspiring message for female entrepreneurs.

Tesco follows other retail pioneers like Ocado, which was the first to launch a dedicated Buy Women Built aisle; Planet Organic, which on International Women’s Day 2025 transformed every shelf and window across all its stores to spotlight women build brands; and Whole Foods Market, which, according to the website, “was the first to put the stories of women-built brands front and centre. In March 2023, its High Street Kensington store dedicated every window to showcasing the founders behind the brands, and not just the products they had created”.

Advice to the next generation: ‘Just take the bloody leap’

One important pillar of the partnership is to inspire more women to enter the food and consumer brand ecosystem.

Reflecting on her own journey from law to founding Coffee Republic, Hashemi’s advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs is simple: “Leap and the net will appear.”

She encourages women not to wait for the perfect moment, not to over-analyse their plans, but to “just bloody take the leap”.

Hashemi is not suggesting quitting a job outright and diving into entrepreneurship.

“If you’re in a role and you’re thinking of starting a business, the best place is to dip your toe into the water before you leave your job to see if it is going to work,” she said.

“At one point, you might think, actually, you know what, I’ve been in this apprenticeship mode, and it looks like it's worth spending my full time on this… Then you could make the proper leap and go over to it.”