Very Little Helps

Very Little Helps shows three children standing around a flagpole, as one child raises the flag, the other two look on, hands on their hearts, as though pledging allegiance. The flag however is a plastic grocery bag from the supermarket chain Tesco. Tesco is famous for their huge, monolithic superstores as a symbol for “big business”. They are said to have destroyed small independent retailers across UK towns. As with many large corporates, the reputation of the retailer has often been called into question over the years, making themselves an ideal target for Banksy's critical eye. The artist has been outspoken on a number of political issues, consumerism and the commercial establishment being one such adamant focus, such as in other works like Sale Ends and Barcode. Tesco's advertising slogan is ‘Every Little Helps’, which gives context to the clever title of the artwork.