You see, I am a Labour councillor for Camden Town with Primrose Hill. In their article The Progressive advises that the Labour party should welcome the introduction of Tesco to Primrose Hill. I hope you will allow me to politely disagree for three reasons.
Firstly, I think there is a danger in labelling people as snobs or even Nimbys because they oppose a certain proposal. I think the Labour party should stand with people who are fighting to defend things that are valuable in their communities. However, we should not be conservative or nostalgic; rather we need to challenge people to come up with positive ideas to improve their areas and support them realise these ideas. I am reminded of the campaign against the extension of the A40 through north Kensington. Out of that campaign the Westway Development Trust was born.
Secondly, I agree that some people have an overly romantic idea of independent shops. Simply being a small shop is no guarantee that you are a good shop. However, by the same token, being part of a large chain is no guarantee of quality. Yes, the focus should be on the quality and the accessibility of the produce, but it should also be on community links and on workers’ rights. The Progressive notes Usdaw’s kind words on Tesco, but they could just have easily pointed to London Citizens so far unsuccessful campaign to get Tesco to pay the London living wage to contracted cleaners and security.
I would like to see local authorities given powers to ensure that businesses work with local community groups and take efforts to ensure that their workers feel empowered and not exploited. Some supermarkets work well with the local community, supporting small charities, allowing their car parks to be used for community events and being careful about who they sell alcohol too. But some do not and when this happens residents can find the stores completely unresponsive. Similarly, some supermarkets recognise and value their staff. Others don’t. And when they don’t workers can find them completely unresponsive. Local authorities should be able to stand with workers and neighbours in these cases. This should be as true if the store is an independent or a multinational.
Finally, the main reason that I would not support a new Tesco in Primrose Hill is that we already have a Morrisons, a Sainsbury’s Local, a Marks and Spencers, a Co-Op, and a Sainsbury’s on our doorstep. But, then again, perhaps The Progressive is a Syrian lesbian, in which case they can be excused for not knowing my patch.
anyway these big supermarkets all sell isles and isles of what is little more than poison the way many people consume certain items in an unbalanced and immoderate way .We have just had the obesity and liver damage report, a severe warning for children.Diabetes ,heart disease etc etc all helped along by those rows and rows of crisps biscuits and pop.I think there should be an investigation into profit margin for junk food,which is probably so much greater than ‘real’ food ,now that would save the NHS some bobs! Oh and the small shops round my way all sell tins of beans say at about 3 times the price of the supermarket round the corner but they are really there for the booze and fags and gambling cards, all sucking at those from the estates .
Check out these left wingers Grant Thornton http://www.grant-thornton.co.uk/press_room/competition_commission_grocery.aspx You can also check out the infamous Trotskyites from the Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/4939036/Fresh-fears-over-Tesco-dominance-after-key-Competition-Commission-victory.html The good old Guardian has an informative article on the issue of supermarkets http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/02/british-farmers-supermarket-price-wars The debate around Tesco is polarised between Love and Hate. If you have the time, read up on the Competition Commission review into groceries. Chuka Umunna has also written a good article explaining how detrimental late payments are to small business. Uncompetitive behaviour and late payments damage small business. We need small business to promote growth and job creation. Supporting a competitive economy helps eradicate poverty and increases general levels of wealth. We should not fall into the trap of arguing over a business without looking at the wider context.
“Finally, the main reason that I would not support a new Tesco in Primrose Hill is that we already have a Morrisons, a Sainsbury’s Local, a Co-Op, and a Sainsbury’s on our doorstep” You base much of your article on workers’ rights but then decline to recognise that all of these employers pay lower hourly rates to checkout staff than Tesco does. How does that benefit low-paid workers in London? From a workers point of view would it not be better to be welcoming a higher paying employer to the area?
You also fail to make any reference to the price of goods. Unless and until independent traders can compete with Tescos on price, then we will not connect with the “squeezed middle” and others living on a tight budget. You also forgot that amongst the supermarket chains that you mentioned, the only one that competes with Tescos on price is Morrisons. “Yes I know there’s no Tescos but there is a Marks n Sparks” ranks alongside Marie Antoinette’s “let them eat cake” as emblematic of being totally out of touch with ordinary people.
Think we should be more proactive about curbing the power of the supermarkets and think about how the food gets to the supermarket from the producers. The farmers are screwed on price quite mercilessly , also the offers – three for one etc are by and large funded not by Tesco but by the retailers. Finally Kenya is in the news as it is in the grip of a famine but TESCO gets a fair amount of its stock of cut flowers from Kenya . Maybe instead of flowers for TESCO , they should be using the precious water to grow food for the starving people. Meanwhile TESCO should but its flowers from the Scilly islands where there is adequate water and traditional flower growers. Plus in conclusion a lot of pollution would be saved by shiping them to the UK mainland. So everybody think about how your food comes to the table and whether it is important to take an ethical stand . Ed Archer
“Finally, the main reason that I would not support a new Tesco in Primrose Hill is that we already have a Morrisons, a Sainsbury’s Local, a Marks and Spencers, a Co-Op, and a Sainsbury’s on our doorstep.” Then, let the market sort out who wins customers and who loses. Who are you to protect Morrisons, Sainsburys, M&S, the Co-Op from a lively and customer-attractive competitor?
Many thanks for your many and varied comments. Jack, I’m not sure that a new Tesco would drive up the wages in other nearby stores. Not an argument I had thought of before but an interesting one. Rachel, I meant to mention price, sorry that did not come across more clearly. I think the best independent stores can compete with larger stores, sometimes on price but also on other scores e.g. quality. I don’t agree with you that the Co-Op or Sainsburys are particularly posh shops. I think both offer some good deals. I normally shop at Sainsburys myself. My point was that it is wrong to suggest that Primrose Hill is an area that does not have any supermarkets nearby. GH, I was not saying I would ban Tesco! I was responding to a previous article that said that I should welcome Tesco. My article sets out the reasons why I, as a local councillor, might not welcome Tesco.
That Tesco, eh? No wonder no one shops there.