Fairplay? Highstreet Shopkeepers on Tesco

These are all genuine accounts from recent UK newspaper reports. Each features a quote from a small highstreet shopkeeper who either sees the writing on the wall or who are facing closure as a result of a Tesco store near them taking their customers or through Tesco undercutting them.

Shopkeeper 01

“We had lots of regular customers but we haven’t seen many of them for months - since the new [Tesco] store opened... We’re going to see if it picks up, but we are really worried we may have to close.”
Priti Patel, owner of Churwell Food Market for 16 years in Churwell, West Yorks. From “Churwell shopkeeper’s fears for future after Tesco opening”, Morley Observer & Advertiser, 13th Oct, 2011 Read more...

Shopkeeper 02

"Who’ll come and buy a pound of sausages from me when they’ve been to Tesco? It’ll kill us."
Melanie Fox, daughter of Derek the butcher whose family has traded for 200 years in Malton, Yorks [now threatened by a Tesco Superstore].

From Daily Mail article: ‘Don't let Tesco wreck my town says Selina Scott..’ 25th Nov, 2011
Read More...

Shopkeeper 03

“We have reduced the price of the shop. We are definitely selling up... It’s [the local Tesco] devastated us as a business... We go and sit in the Tesco car park and watch all the customers who used to come in to us go in and out of there all the time.”
Julia Moore owner for 20 years of Moore’s Grocers in Madeley, Telford.

From “Every little helps, "Telford shopkeeper to throw in the towel", Shropshire. Star, 21st Mar 2011
Read More...

There has been suggestion that a Tesco supermarket in Tenbury would "benefit Tenbury's shops"...  Is this the sort of "benefit" the town's food shops need?

Tenbury Futures' PLAN B

Thanks to all those who sent back People's Plan/Cattle Market development ideas for consideration & discussion on the Tenbury Futures blog. There were some great ideas returned and we didn't publish all of them on here but selected a few that we felt we could visualise and which would prompt further discussion. On the back of these ideas and along with the earlier 'Community Questionnaire' results, we've produced our vision of how we'd like to persue re-development of the Cattle Market site with our 'Plan B'.   

Central to this plan are the range of values that we possess within the Futures group - these include those of developing and enhancing facilities for the local community, improving Tenbury's tourism appeal and creating a sustainable, healthy and vibrant environment in the town for people to live, work and visit.

[Download "Plan B" as a multi-page .pdf file by clicking on the link below]

[Click to download PLAN B]

Mary Portas' New Review of High Streets

Mary has been asked by central government to do a review of our highstreets and look into what makes them vibrant places for people to shop and on the flip side the challenges to them [such as out of town and large supermarket competition].

You can see her website and the initial discussions on this [here].

Channel 4 Documentary on Tesco's Working Methods: