While its chief executive may be stepping down, supermarket giant Tesco is going from strength to strength at the moment, with the latest figures showing that its profits are up and that it has made waves in the world of safe shopping online.

Furthermore, the company is setting out to cement itself as a significant operator in the e-commerce space, with the target of boosting its capacity to serve customers across the country by a factor of two over the next half decade.

In particular, it is intending to continue increasing the profitability of its e-commerce operations - a project which was initiated a few years ago when it decided to consolidate its online offerings and do away with the distinct Tesco Direct brand, which was seen as something of a hindrance to its success in this space.

One aspect of the online shopping market which Tesco is eager to leverage is the opportunity to encourage customers to remain loyal, even if they are presented with a plethora of other options when it comes to ordering groceries for delivery. This will be achieved by shoring up the features that are presented to Clubcard users so that they are less likely to look elsewhere.

Outside of the UK, Tesco has plans for further expansion in other parts of the world, with its presence in Thailand being an especially important asset. It will be rolling out 750 small-scale stores there between now and 2023, targeting the convenience segment of the market rather than opting to open full-scale supermarket outlets.

British customers will still be able to order online and pick up their groceries from their nearest store via click and collect, with four additional Tesco superstores scheduled to be built alongside 150 smaller outlets.