I've just returned from holiday to read the above headline on the Westmorland Gazette site.
They quote Ceri Hutton. I think she is right.
Here is my rather long but hopefully thoughtful detailed comment:
Unlike Ceri, I am not part of the Keep Ulverston Special Group. Initially
I was in favour of the Robinson's Brewery site supermarket as I thought it
would complement existing traders in the town and provide a cheaper alternative to
Booths.
I took the trouble to investigate the proposal put forward
by Sainsbury in May this year and published an interview with their representative which I believed would inform the public in a neutral way as to what was
proposed.
As someone who was present at their display for three hours
on their final day I find the publicity coming from Sainsbury regarding the
views of local people to be downright dishonest and worthy of very competent
politicians who are good at convincing people that black is white.
I too have discussed the topic with about fifty of my
friends and 90% believe that any supermarket will undermine the long term
future of the town of Ulverston. I am now convinced that another supermarket
would be disastrous. Upgrade the Co-op which is owned by us : Yes. But large
remotely run businesses : No
The reason is that at present the trade in the town, for the
most part is run well by local people. These are canny businessmen who work
with local suppliers to get good produce at low prices. Both Deborah Robinson
and myself have independently done thorough surveys of local prices that show
that that a combination of well run shops like Brocklebanks and Smith and
Harrisons can supply a wider variety of goods at lower prices than the
supermarkets.
Supermarkets are a thing of the past they are on their way
out because of their inefficiency and inability to operate flexibly at a local
level. Their transport costs will always be high and are rising as fuel prices
increase. Something made in Dalton will be trundled all the way to Manchester
only to travel all the way back to Dalton to be sold there. The local
businessman buys locally from other efficient producers with working conditions
with negligible transport cost.
Supermarkets do not provide new jobs because they put the
smaller local suppliers out of business in favour of the distant large scale
supplier with dubious hire-and-fire policies and in some cases illegal
immigrant workers.
Secondly large is not necessarily better. These companies
are run by remote executives who act for the benefit of the large company. Thus
in say ten years, they could decide that an Ulverston store isn't as effective
as a larger one in Kendal. The smaller Ulverston store which will get closed.
They won't care a toss about how that leaves Ulverston. Yes
you could argue that Ulverston is thirty years behind the rest of the country.
With the present economic situation this could well be it's salvation.
My plea is for everyone to think carefully about the future
and not plump for the 'cheaper' option - in the future this could prove the
expensive one which holds a monopoly. No in my view small, local and quickly
flexible is the service to vote for. Ulverston, in spite of it's poor
politicians has still got the makings of being special. Now at last there are
the signs that even the political scene is at the beginning of a shake up
thanks to the likes of Jane Harris - one our new and energetic Councillors -
and there are more waiting off stage ready to step in - in Five years time
Ulverston could be truly special.
Vote “No” to Sainsbury and any other supermarket. Resist
their slick highly professional and dishonest way of winning an argument.
Resist big business. Have faith in your local loyal nose-to-the-grindstone
businessman not a remote disinterested cold-blooded executive with an office at
the top of a sky scraper with a team of suited PR persuaders and highly paid
lawyers who know how to operate just on the right side of the line of legality.
People who know how to pull the right string and are even skilled at the back-hander.
