Tesco Continues to Expand; But is it really a bad thing?
This week’s announcement of planning permission being granted to Tesco to open a store in Layton was met with fury by a small number of residents and traders but met with delight by plenty more, me for one.
Firstly lets talk about Layton, in my view and my experience not a particularly good shopping area, Costcutter is about the worst shop I have ever been in, it is so overpriced and it doesn’t even sell newspapers, not really convenient for a ‘convenience store’ is it?
The proposed Tesco store on the other hand will sell most things you need for a top-up shop, I live near a Tesco Express myself on Highfield Rd and it is an excellent store. But also contrary to claims by Layton traders it will ‘kill them off’, the Tesco on Highfield Rd lives in harmony with plenty of small traders and has never adversely affected their trade. Plus as Charles Darwin said ‘Survival of the fittest’ that is how the modern business world works. There was a silly comment on the Gasjet the other day from someone saying ‘Tesco is just a big greedy corporation’. Yes they are right on one level Tesco is a huge corporation but ‘greedy’ I think not. There is nothing greedy about making a business work phenomenally well and making a tidy profit.
I am a huge fan of Tesco, their store on Clifton Rd is one of the largest stores in the country and it is a brilliant store. Their Express stores also make a welcome change to often overpriced small traders who only stock a limited range of stock. I sympathise with small traders but Tesco is doing nothing wrong they have created a magic formula to make a very successful business. If I was a small trader myself I would say ‘If you can’t beat them join them and apply for a job there, they are an excellent company to work for, so I have heard from friends who have worked there’.
In conclusion, I feel the new Tesco will be a much needed improvement for Layton and seeing as I have friends who live near Layton, I look forward to using the store.
Long may Tesco’s reign continue.
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I largely agree TB, layton is poorly served, my only concern is the traffic control situation at the junction on the hill;thats a nightmare.
At the end of the day if people dont like it, they dont have to shop there.
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Well although a Tesco will probably be better for shopping in the area (with bad stores closing as a result) it’s not all good news. As Harold says there’s a traffic issue. In St. Anne’s we just about coped with getting a popular M&S (though it’s a pretty poor one) then a Costa Coffee opened and a lot of the time you can’t get down the most major route through the town because of queuing traffic to get on it. And there’s also the question of long term thinking. Tesco manages to take business because it is so large suppliers will accept lower margins for them keeping their costs down. It therefore has a lot more money to play with than that Costcutter and can afford to provide a smarter looking store. Once there are only a few large suppliers of food in the country do we really expect good prices to continue? We already see higher prices in the Tesco Express kind of stores than their larger stores to reflect the higher costs of those buildings but they buy the stock for them just as cheaply.
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Tesco is too dominant in the market and this is unhealthy for the consumer….
One day we will wake up and be living in ‘Every Little Helps’ land……
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If it were a Sainsbury, Morrisons or ASDA people would still have kicked off. They all sell the same stuff at the same price anyway.
I wonder if people would have gone off on one if Mr Patel had opened a giant convenience store there instead?
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Morrisons and Asda do not operate a smaller metro brand like the Tesco Express stores.
Tesco are using these outlets to force out smaller retailers from the convenience sector. Just like the Mr Patel’s of this world.
Sainsbury operate a similar Metro brand but given its size it is in now way comparable to the Tesco brand.
If people like cloned High Streets and a limited shopping choice where true independents cannot compete against the big boys (and lets face it Tesco’s attitude (approved at board level) towards their suppliers has at times been criminal) then fine.
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“I wonder if people would have gone off on one if Mr Patel had opened a giant convenience store there instead?”
Certainly Not!
I would have ordered a Nick Griffin signed koran from Mr Patel to use to light my fire with,damn good value for money as well! lol lol lol
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All things equal Harold the Mr Patels serve a very useful function in Blackpool retail sector.
Where else can the kids get a few beers for an evening cos Tesco’s wont sell them to them.
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well said Geezer,very true!
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The use of the superlative describing Tesco’s is very interesting. Let us investigate further and allow me to add observations from a position of experience.
I first came across Malls in South Africa when I visited the brilliant Sandton complex near Johannesburg. The facilities were superior to anything I had ever seen in Singapore and Hong Kong, plus they had Anneline Kriel—Miss South Africa – flogging leather gear from an ultra expensive boutique before she was wooed by the All Black Number 8. It was the domain of the wealthy and the average Boer and Engelsman visited only to peruse. What it achieved was to suck out of Johannesburg and Pretoria that extra floating cash which keeps communities alive and vibrant.
Despite all the propaganda and lies, even during the height of Apartheid, there was one sector that fought the decline and it was called the Indian Sector although it had more Portuguese, Greek and some notable African shops. It was vibrant, you could haggle over prices and the service was tremendous. It was to this venue, with our limited currency coming down from Rhodesia, which we visited and spent our meagre dollars at. All the time it was noticeable that the shopping areas in Joeys and Pretoria were deteriorating, exactly as Blackpool has over a longer period and for all the same reasons; poor parking, lousy public transport and over zealous councils sucking the profits out of the small retailers and grocers.
Unlike the majority of shoppers today, I have the capacity – a legacy of thrift and education – to be able to decide for myself what is cheap and what is not. For vegetables I choose the two greengrocers in Abingdon Street market for quality above ALL the stores in Blackpool. Plus, for the single person and pensioner, you do not have to buy pre-packed veg which goes off as you trundle out of the store. So, no waste! I have yet to meet anyone who can honestly say that Morrison’s veg comes up to scratch, or the £1.30 you pay for a few sliced carrots in Tesco is value for money. Convenience does not equate to value.
I see the punters whizzing in and out of Tesco’s and I go in and do a mental shop. I hate mass produced bread an am prepared to pay a premium for ryes, sour-doughs and good old fashioned English bread from a local bakery. If fuel was not so expensive I would, yet often do, bake my own. Basics like flour, rice and cereal are all too expensive in the Tesco Express, and these are the commodities that the average shopper no longer put into the basket. Once this attitude becomes the norm and the convenience shopper rules entirely the market-place, watch Tesco’s rocket the price to advance their profits. I have no evidence of collusion, but it is no surprise that general prices have escalated above inflation for wine, meat and veg. I love it when the supermarkets advertise half price pork, but do not tell you the original prices. 30% off offers! 30% off what?
Having been raised in the food industry, having worked in major retail and associated with import, having had to feed many thousand on a very limited budget, this love affair with the major superstores is disastrous especially for the worse off and the ill-educated. Just like tomatoes on the vine, all a great con-trick.
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Where do you get your bread ingredients then?
You did touch on the main reason so many stick with one shop to get everything, and it’s the cost of travelling around and parking. There might well be great shops in Abingdon Street market but getting there and parking is a pain in the arse.
Yes theres public transport but its hardly convenient either – particularly if you’re only picking up a bag of carrots!
If I go to Tesco – as I am about to – I know I will be able to park and it wont cost me anything to do so, I know they will have everything I want to buy, and I know it’ll be of reasonable quality. Maybe not ‘the best’, but do I care?
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Strong flour 47p, for1.5 kg. Sour dough takes a few days to mature and is a simple mixture of plain flour and a small spoon of sugar, water. Lidl. Parking no problem, I get the bus, no longer buy bag loads of shopping and carry only what goes in my backpack. By planning ahead I save a lot of money. I don’t buy fresh milk unless I have a specific recipe as I end up throwing half of it away. If you make too much, freeze it. Plain flour, unbranded was this time last year 17p for 1.5kg. Used sparingly it does last a long time and a batch of 12 scones cost no more than £1 which includes eggs and dried fruit.
Fresh fish? Dockside in Fleetwood. Fantastic quality and not fortunes. Why should the Latins have all our great produce? Butter and cheese, expensive, but I buy local produce in Garstang and treat myself to the occasional pheasant and venison. You don’t have to buy lots. A brace of mallard for £6 – four meals with taste.
Much of the veg comes out of the garden and I would have had a decent supply of winter greens had not the neighbouring kids destroyed the entire crop. Can’t do a thing about that because of the Occupiers Liability Act. Not sufficient grapes to make wine but enough for me and a few friends.
As a disabled pensioner I have time and if I don’t want or can’t do something I don’t. Whenever I go anywhere I spend a short time reconnoitring – quoting Napoleon, “Time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.” In my backpack I carry a freezer bag so I can take advantage of any deal going. But don’t buy too much. Duckling was £3.99 on sale at Lidl. Four to six meals from one bird and brilliant broth. Great quality and good service, and a million miles from Tesco but a few yards from a bus stop.
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Personally I can’t stand Lidl, most of the products are cheap and taste just that in my experience Also I hate the drab and depressing layout of Lidl/Aldi stores. It reminds me of walking into the warehouse when I used to work in a supermarket in a past life. I much prefer the colourful, attractive eye-cathcing layout of Tesco and Morrisons. Even Booker warehouses look more attractive than Lidl stores. I think there are far too many Lidls on the Fylde Coast, they should be there because obviously some people shop there and that’s fine. But what we really are lacking is a Waitrose. I am so sick of getting the Daily Telegraph with £10 off at Waitrose when there is not a store for 40 miles (literally Formby in Merseyside), also Waitrose persistently wins awards for ‘Britains best supermarket’ etc but they represent such a small proportion of the population outside the M25.
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Nah, stuff at Lidl is good quality, particularly the fresh stuff like fruit and veg. In most cases its better than Tesco et al. Have you ever shopped there? The fresh stuff in Aldi is often very good too.
More Lidls the merrier as far as I am concerned
Not bothered whether theres a Waitrose or not, as I wouldn’t shop there.
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We might not have Waitrose but we do have Ocado which I rate highly. I shop at Tesco and Booths (Marton) mainly with an odd delivery from Ocado / trip to Honeywells for certain items and I’m trying to make myself go to Strongs’ greengrocers in Lytham more as supermarket fruit and veg is terrible. I hate both Tesco and Booths in Blackpool though they are convenient – they both have a lot to learn about customer service and quality. Having said that I hate Morrisons and smelly Asda more.
And I freeze milk if I have too much (though I use skimmed so it lasts quite a while after the best before date anyway).
Fish in the area isn’t good. I used to use a stall in Blackburn that was fantastic – Dockside is rubbish in comparison and I can’t understand why an inland ex-mill town does better than Fleetwood for quality and freshness.
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For what its worth I shop there as well.
But which one do you use? I’ve found the Marton and the Anchorsholme one differ greatly!
You’ve also got the cost of baking the bread/scones too.
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Thought this was a very telling comment from the Gazette (not that most other commenters took a blind bit of notice of course):
AES,
Layton 13/09/2010 10:09:20
After reading the comments already written about the new Tesco store, I felt I must write to voice my opposition against this store. I am not a trader, simply a local resident who does not agree with how this store has come to be. People here are commenting on how wonderful a new Tesco store will be. Why? Are they aware that there are already SIX Tesco stores within a two mile radius of the one being built? There are also twelve within a five mile radius, soon to be thirteen. Surely that is plenty of choice for anyone passionate enough about shopping there. Why is the windmill derelict? Tesco bought the property directly from the brewery and closed it down, probably for an over-inflated price. It would still be open were it not for the actions of Tesco, and whatever people thought about the pub it was still an asset to the community. I can drive to any one of the Tesco stores already mentioned but I cannot drive to the pub unless I don’t want to drink, which kind of defeats the point. Also, why were Tesco already converting the pub to a store long before planning permission had been approved? No developer in their right mind would start work on a property before the correct permission had been granted, for fear of losing that investment. No doubt Tesco already had assurances that the permission would be granted, which makes a mockery of local democracy. Shame on the council, money really does make the world go round.
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“… would have ordered a Nick Griffin signed koran from Mr Patel to use to light my fire with,damn good value for money as well! lol lol lol…”
If your surname is truly “Gokdogan” then actually you should already have a copy of the Qur’an, seeing as Gokdogan is a Turkish surname based upon a place name in Turkey and is a surname usually born by Muslims – oops there goes your “Indigenous British” criterion when applying to join the BNP, sorry about that
Actually I have read this blog for some time now and I find Harold’s succinct comments regarding local politicians, colourful, refreshing and usually spot on!
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Now then
Its a few months on and perhaps as good a time as any to take stock
Despite the doom and gloom predictions of some in the Gazette article including the laugh out loud one about Tesco adding to traffic congestion (eh ??) Tesco’s have indded come and whats happened
Well traffic is no worse the junction there works very well indeed people get into the Tesco car park and get out again. The Tesco site is well maintained (though some work needs to be done on the front grass strip on Westcliffe Drive Frontage as people are walking over it creatiung a shortcut (If you dunno what I mean look at the front leading up to thge door). During construction/adaption there was astonsihingly little disruption to infrastructure in the area nosie levels were kept down al in all it wasan exemplary rebuild.
Now the store itself : It represents reaklly quite good value for money the staff are generall very cheerul and helpful the “fully automated” checkout option isn’t rammed down your throat (unlike B and Q) and if a Q builds wonder of wonders staff get on a till to lower the Q
there have been some great bargains in there and in all honesty I am absolutely delighted at the place I think it is a compliment to Tesco
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Its not only TESCO expanding:
http://planning.blackpool.gov.uk/PlanningApplicationDocs/images/38585/BcvplanappAccolaid_docs$AcollateLoaderV220110104DPLN10-1461.pdf
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Thanks for that Shoggy, I am a big lover of Sainsburys. I would like to see a big Sainsburys in Blackpool though. The one in Bispham is only medium sized one and a wee bit out of my way living in South Shore. I think it is high time we got a Waitrose on the Fylde Coast also. The nearest Waitrose is in Formby nr Southport or Altrincham in Cheshire. I am so sick of Waitrose winning all these accolades and awards when they represent such a small proportion of the country outside London and the Home Counties. Also The Times and Telegraph keep giving away Waitrose vouchers which I’ve got nowhere to use.
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Theres a massive sainsburys in thornton as well,as the new district centre on bourne way.
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Massive Sainsburys in Thornton, where abouts? I can’t recall one being there.
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its part of the new district centre to built off bourne way, the go-ahaed by wbc has been given,it will be where the football club is now.
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Hope its got a cafe – or better still if it had a dad’s creche with Prem League Plasma’s and Bottle Bar.
We could go shopping as often as she wants then between 3pm and 5 pm on a saturday then.
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Oh right sounds good, I have not been around Thornton a while.
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Blackpool Transport run a number 14 bus to thornton Mr Cox just in case you did’t know?
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Pierre Whats you obsession with Blackpool Transport, YOU OWN shares.
They are a dead loss. buses to the wrong places and the wrong times…….. utter madness
Sell them off and now, cut your loss’s and run dude.
Who gives a tuft about Blackpool Transport……… THEY DONT GIVE A DAM ABOUT US
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Close your eyes Harold you hate this comment.
This is an example of how big companies and local authorities can work together to help out local communities, like Thornton. NPL has been brilliant for Thornton it has brought jobs and improved housing, and if it was allowed to, it would have before now brought a lot of leisure facilities to Thornton. The district centre you are talking about Harold is small compared to what NPL wanted to do to the area 10 years ago. Thornton is slowly improving thanks to the likes of NPL.
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A further update on the Sainsbury expantion plans. You may recall that Blackpool Coastal Housing (the councils arms length management company owned by the council and still having its strings jerked by them TAKE NOTE PJ) recently moved into a £3.5 million new office in the town centre on Abingdon Street (old harveys and those that remember Timothy Whites).
The down stairs ground floor and basement are not occupied by Blackpool Coastal Housing, and are currently empty awaitng a tenant. Sainsburys are planning to open a Mini Store in there by I believe May 11. In some ways this is excellent news for the town centre, especially the folk that work in town, as we only have Iceland at the moment.
However with a 164 staff at coastal housing in there new shinny office, all having cars, all being given council parking pass’s this leaves a 164 less parking spaces for the shoppers and visitors…………… WHOS Idea was it to move BCH from progress house to abingdon street……….. NOT THE BLOODY STAFF’s that I can Tell you.
Oh Yes it Was Maxine and Peter Callows along with the wicked witch of st annes road Lilly Henderson. Ably assisted by Weaver and Garriett and France……….
Some people and there daft ideas begger belief.
And now with all the decent homes funding money, snatched back by the tory goverment, is there a need for BCH…………. NO at a cost of £11.5 million per year. at least there CEO Mr Jefferson is not paid stupid amounts of money the blokes lucky if he is on £60k a year………… Value for money maybe………
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