R
ugby
Green Party has raised its concerns that Rugby may become a ‘Tesco Town’ if
local planners and Councillors continue to allow massive multinationals supermarkets
to move into the ‘local shop’ market in the town, this after 3 ‘local’ Tesco’s
have ben allowed to be opened in the town in the last few years despite
opposition from local communities they are sited in.
 |
Peter Reynolds Chair of Rugby Green Party and also
Brownsover resident earlier this month protesting outside the
new TESCO in Brownsover. |
From a
nation of shopkeepers to Clone Town Britain?
The
UK's biggest supermarkets are grappling for ever greater market share. Small
independent stores and suppliers, and ultimately consumers, are paying a direct
price in the face of unfair competition.
‘For the past three years small independent
shops have been closing at a rate of 5,000 per year in the UK. This has risen
alarmingly in 2009, when 25,000 small shops - 10per cent of the total - closed
in the first nine months of the year. There are estimated to be another 50,000
shops teetering on the brink’ (Federation of Small Businesses 2012 survey).
TESCO Towns coming to Rugby
Yes if
Brownover and Bilton is anything to go by!
Peter
Reynolds (Rugby Green Party Chair and Brownsover Resident says “We have seen
3 ‘local’ Tesco’s open recently in Rugby
– in Bilton, Brownsover and the station area that will/are impacting on local
shops”
“In Brownsover – my area, local residents have
the worse case scenario where by the local public house (which could have been
transformed into a valuable community resource) now has a Tesco in its place
and local community facilities and shops
are under threat of closure.”
Peter
continues “I am especially angry because Tesco was allowed to come to
Brownsover with very little consultation with local residents, but with the whole hearted supported of Councillors who
actually it appears went as far as lifting a covenant on the Merry Monk site to
enable TESCO to come to Brownsover.”
Peter says ‘Greens recognise the important of
independent shops and the important role
of well managed community resources such as community centres and pubs, as they can act as the glue to pull together
the community – instead we are now likely to see sterile and empty building in
our local communities if the ‘Tesco town’ is not checked”
For
Information
Tesco Town is slang for an area where one retailer has
large market share.
The term Tesco Town comes from the name of the retailer
Tesco, but is used to describe any area dominated by one particular retailer.
Bicester is one of the UK's best known Tesco-towns,
operating six stores in a region with a population of 29,000. Featuring a Tesco
Extra on the southern side of town, near the Bicester Village designer outlet,
a Metro Tesco Metro in the town centre and a further four Tesco Express stores
around the general neighbourhood and community areas.
In 2007, it was reported that in Inverness, where there
are currently four stores in the small city, Tesco had a 51% share of the
market for groceries in the city, the highest rate of penetration for any
locality in the UK.
Worthing, West Sussex has been described as a Tesco Town
with 9 stores and the 10th on its way this February. These include one the
largest Tesco Extra Stores in the UK, 8 Express Stores and 1 Esso with Express.
Worcester is also classed as a Tesco Town as they have 6
stores around the area including 2 Superstores, 3 Express and 1 Esso Express
stores.
Reading, Berkshire has been described as a Tesco Town by
its residents, with 2 Superstores and 8 Express stores with more planned.
Bedford has also been described as a Tesco town
with the town having a Tesco for every 7,500 people
