Tesco - Some very helpful thoughts

Someone has sent in the following excellent analysis. Comments from the Mill Road Campaigners have been added in red.

What do you think?

Tesco

Pros

• When Tesco opened in Bowness, it showed signs of wanting to create goodwill in the local community by donating money to support local groups (it’s not exactly known for its generosity though, and this was only £500).
• Could draw more people into the town and support other businesses that way
• Saves people who shop at Tesco already a trip to Barrow – better for the environment and keeps money circulating locally.

No, that's precisely what Tesco doesn't do. Money spent in Tesco goes to their Head Office. Independent retailers keep the money local. The stats are somewhere on our website (!)

• May draw people from the outskirts (such as Swarthmoor) who now go to Barrow to shop back into Ulverston.
• Jobs (unless other local businesses are squeezed out)

Unlikely to be any doubt about that, unfortunately, and the jobs on offer are likely to be part-time and low-paid.

• Cheaper goods available for hard-up locals

see my initial comments (likely to be 20% higher than Tesco Barrow). Express stores are not cheap!

• Provides competition for local shops – they’ll have to up their game somehow, which could have a positive effect.
• Ulverstonians need to be able to buy everyday necessities locally and at reasonable prices. This is becoming very difficult now Woolworths is gone. Local suppliers such as Pellymounters charge extremely high prices (possibly due to a lack of competitors) provoking townspeople to drive all the way to Barrow and back just to get simple goods at prices they can afford. Personally, I am forced to shop via the internet more and more. This all means less of our money is staying in the town and there are fewer jobs locally. If the new Tesco store sells similar goods to Woolworths (as opposed to merely foodstuffs), this may well be just what we need.

Cons

• Where will everyone park? Could cause traffic chaos. Or are there ways in which they could develop more parking space? Where might that be?
• Will need to be supplied – more lorries coming into the town centre.
• Will it put other businesses at risk? Direct competitors locally are Booths, Co-op, newsagents, butchers, bakeries, delicatessen, the indoor market. Other competitors – depends on whether the store will sell mainly foodstuffs or other items as well.
• Tesco doesn’t sell or promote locally produced goods (unlike Booths, which does).
• Doesn’t make the local high street look attractive or unique – a selling point for Ulverston. Might be bad for tourism.
• Will Tesco do a Bargain Booze and buy up adjacent shops, becoming larger and larger? Bargain Booze uglifies the street and causes parking problems, Tesco may prove even worse in that regard.
• Tesco is not known for its business ethics (unlike Co-op and Booths). Should such an unethical business be encouraged?
• What about our status as Fairtrade town?
• What about the possibility we have at the moment of marketing Ulverston as an alternative to clone towns, as a place where you can still get quality, where people can come for an alternative shopping experience?

Questions

• Will they be allowed to expand if they want to?
• What kind of Tesco will it be? Express? Mainly foodstuffs or a mix of food and other goods? This is something that could possibly be controlled by changing the planning permission so that they are only allowed to sell foodstuffs. However, the town really needs somewhere to buy the kind of goods that were stocked by Woolworths, otherwise people will have to go to Barrow just to buy the odd pot or pan.