Last Orders For Your Local, pubs turning into mini-Tescos and so on

[Eddy]

Last orders for your local

Has your nearest pub become a Tesco Express? Protesters find themselves virtually powerless to stop supermarkets taking over ...

... Across Britain, hundreds of pubs are being converted into Tesco Express or Sainsbury's Local stores as supermarkets pursue a "street corner" growth strategy in the face of restrictions on out-of-town developments. Tesco has opened 1,500 Express stores already and plans hundreds more. Sainsbury's has 400 Locals, Morrisons is trialling its M-Local stores and Waitrose is rolling out 300 Little stores. The Co-op is also planning a big expansion of its convenience store format.

The march of the retail giants has met with fierce, but almost entirely fruitless, resistance across the country. The roll-call of failed campaigns is lengthy; the Red Lion in Milford, the Black Bull in Kirklees, the Alexandra in Wigan, the Carpenter's Arms in Cardiff, the Honeysuckle Arms in Gateshead, the Angel Inn in Caerleon near Newport, the Marsham Arms in Chelmsford … the list could run on and on.

But why are pubs targeted? Critics say a legal loophole allows them to be converted to mini-markets without planning permission, leaving councils powerless to halt the process. What's more, as long as the floor space is no more than 280 sq metres (3,000 sq ft), the retailer can bypass the Sunday Trading Act and remain open all hours ...

Full article, the Guardian, 06/04/12.

[Eddy]

Found this article very interesting as it raises a lot of issues that I was unaware of.

To me, the traditional high street is essential to the British way of life. Yet it's just disappearing and the same old supermarket chains are not helping at all. Though they are not solely respoinsible. Greedy landlords, internet shopping, high business rates and ridiculous parking restrictions are all playing a part.

However, if I am honest, I prefer a high street to have a brightly lit Tesco Express as opposed to a depressing boarded-up closed public house.

[grimfandango]

It's very sad that so many pubs are closing down, and with the likes of tesco taking them over everything becomes very homogonised, I find this depressing.

We are very lucky in Histon, we have 5 pubs all of which seem to be doing well.

[Eddy]

To get to work I have to travel across 2 London boroughs. I pass about 6 little Tescos ... one is a traditional high street shop, one is part of a new development and the other 4 are converted pubs.

It's just sad, as is the fact that independent retailers no longer seem to be stepping forward to start new high street businesses.

We need to take an example from France where local people fight hard to protect their high streets and markets and automatically oppose any measure that may damage them.