Wednesday 9 December 2009

Tenth Tesco set to open in Reading

Tesco's relentless invasion of Reading is set to continue when it opens its 10th store in the town.


A new Tesco Express, based in the building in Market Place will open in February. The shop’s fit-out will begin immediately after Tesco bosses signed a 15-year lease on the 3,025 ft ground floor and 1,715 ft basement site.

Why do our Council let Tesco take over the town? Is there no limit to their expansion? Watch the small shops close, so the choice for customers becomes less good. When only supermarkets and a few specialist shops remain, will the council think it a good thing?

Tesco now controls over 30% of the grocery market in the UK. In 2009, the supermarket chain announced profits of over £3bn. Growing evidence indicates that Tesco's success is partly based on trading practices that are having serious consequences for suppliers, farmers and workers worldwide, local shops and the environment.

The Competition Commission had investigated Tesco last year after a two-year inquiry into the grocery sector and introduced a 'competition test'. It would have meant that permission for a new supermarket would be subject to a retailer’s existing market share in the area – based on data provided by the Office of Fair Trading. Tesco appealed and won, they can always hire the best lawyers. Tesco has a huge pipeline of properties that it hopes to turn into supermarkets and convenience stores to add to its more than 2,000 outlets. It says it will add 2 million sq ft (186,000 sq m) to its floorspace by April 2010.

Tesco’s win is a blow to some of its rivals, who had made submissions to backing the commission, which said it would study the ruling before deciding its next step. A commission remedy based on a market investigation has never previously been successfully challenged. Every little hurts.

5 comments:

Adrian Windisch said...

LD Cllr Gareth Epps thinks Councils are powerless to stop the expansion of Tesco. Perhaps he shouldn't be in politics.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2062250_tenth_tesco_set_to_open

howard thomas said...

OK........so how do you propose that the council could stop the march of Tesco?

Adrian Windisch said...

Don't give them planning permission to do any more building.

Why not deny them licences to sell alcohol?

www.tescopoly.org has good information.

In other words fight back.

howard thomas said...

This latest one is an existing building in a shopping area...........I don't suppose for one minute that they need a change of use , or that the council could in any way deny it if they did..........simply because the applicant is Tesco.
Alcohol is another issue,Tesco's record in being caught selling to underage buyers is not good , but I don't suppose that not giving them a license to sell it would put them off.
Mind you £100,000 fine for each tree illegally cut down might balter Tesco policy!

Adrian Windisch said...

I didnt say that RBC could stop a shop from being a shop. But they have allowed tesco to build, and grant them alcohol licences.

Gareth continues to attack me on the getreading site, betraying himself. He is more interested in making political capital than stopping tesco.