The UK’s biggest supermarket chain has chosen the UK’s biggest charity by voluntary income as its charity of the year partner for 2012.

Cancer Research UK has today been announced as Tesco’s charity partner for 2012, marking the fifth year in a row that the retailer has opted for a health charity for the partnership and the third time in five years that a cancer charity has won the lucrative tie-up.

The 2012 partnership, which aims to raise £10m for the charity, follows on from a decade-long relationship between the two brands in supporting Race for Life. In 2011 the fundraising run was re-named the Tesco Race for Life and the supermarket chain declared aims to increase the number of participants to 1 million. More than two-thirds of Tesco staff have participated in the race over the course of the partnership, raising more than £7.5m for Cancer Research UK in the process. The supermarket has also pledged to support the race for a further three years.

But while the two organisations have a long history, this is the first time Cancer Research has been the supermarket’s charity of the year.

Tesco chief executive Richard Brasher said, “I’m particularly pleased that the partnership build on our continued support of Race for Life… We hope selecting Cancer Research UK as our Charity of the Year will help [staff] fund more life-saving research.”

The partnership will involve fundraising from staff, customers and the supermarket chain’s suppliers.

Tesco Charity of the Year past partners:

2012 – Cancer Research UK
2011 – Alzheimer’s Society
2010 – Clic Sargent
2009 – Muscular Dystrophy Campaign
2008 – Marie Curie Cancer Care
2007 – British Red Cross