The news that six Tesco directors had each pushed home more than £1m in their trolleys after the multiple smashed the £1bn profits barrier sent media pundits into deepest shock horror mode this week. And therein lies a major challenge. How do you explain that particular "sensation" to an insatiable national media which would throw vitriol at supermarket trolley collectors if it thought it would make a good story. Impatient with an election campaign which has so far served up nothing more interesting than John Prescott's fracas in Rhyl, pathetic groups of scandalmongering hacks this week scoured the country. Their task? To find someone to portray Terry Leahy and his senior team as a plundering bunch who had not only ripped off shoppers but pocketed too much personal reward. Alas, few among the usual suspects ­ the NFU, the shopworkers' union and the City scribblers ­ were willing to come up with juicy quotes attacking the packages. Exit left, disgruntled media hacks, all set to turn their fire onto other big business targets. But sadly, as the headlines reflected, there was no disguising their disappointment at failing to stir up controversy and plunge their knives into a few more prominent grocery backs. But, in truth, the pay packets of those who steer Britain's top grocery class act pale into into insignificance alongside some of the fat sums handed out in the utilities sector. And had the scandalhunters checked with their financial colleagues, they would have discovered that Tesco shares have consistently outperformed both the sector and the stock market over the past few years as the multiple not only overtook Sainsbury but set out on the path to becoming a serious global player. Add the thousands of jobs the Cheshunt shopkeeper has created, not to mention the profits it has distributed to its staff, and you have justification for the payouts. That's a success story the media would shout from the rooftops in some countries. But then, in Britain... Clive Beddall, Editor {{OPINION }}

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