By Colin Allcabs
Consumer Correspondent

Embattled Tesco bosses have announced a radical plan to start putting produce in logical areas of their stores in order to improve profits.

They intend to help customers find what they’re looking for quickly – and will use stores in Suffolk to test out the improvements.

The supermarket giant announced today its profits had tumbled by half to £354 million in the face of stiff competition. Like-for-like sales were down 1.1% and bosses revealed the outlook remained challenging.

But they were upbeat with claims that logical placement of goods on the shelves would soon turn their fortunes around.

A retail insider said: “For example, Tesco will now put peanuts with the other crisps and savoury snacks instead of randomly putting them on the other side of the store. That really makes no sense at all, and simply causes their customers much anguish and confusion.

“They’ll also put the eggs somewhere obvious. Everyone buys eggs, but no one really knows where they are because Tesco just put them amongst loads of other random stuff. One customer reported recently finding eggs next to flour.

“Many examples come to light – such as lime juice not being positioned next to lemon juice, or cream cheese being nowhere near cheese.”

Shoppers outside one of Ipswich’s Tesco stores, which will begin trials next week, backed the plans. Mum-of-seven Val Timpson said: “If it means I can do my shop quicker, and stop having to walk around and around looking for something, only to find it in the least obvious place, then I’m all for it.”

Customers also said TEsco would do well to help men feel less awkward at checkouts.