Supermarket Armada Approaches

SUPERMARKET MOGULS SET UP SHOP ANYWAY AND EVERYWHERE

Britain has a huge demand for food products. In the UK alone families spend around £483 a month on food alone. These foods come from a wide range of source from your local corner shop to local produce from a farmer’s market,  but most likely source with be a supermarket. Over 75% of people us a supermarket regularly in order to get there weekly shop.

Major supermarkets, such as Sainsbury, are taking over the Uk’s local streets and parades. The major supermarkets provide customers with smaller more compact stores aimed to provide an experience similar to those that you may get from a local shop. These ‘new generation’ of supermarkets have different variation dependent on the supermarket. Eg-Tesco have open their ne branded stores of Tesco Express or Tesco Extra. Many of these small supermarket stores are popping up everywhere within the UK. Croydon alone has 4 different supermarket chain within a space of a mile. Furthermore the supermarkets aren’t just popping up near local high streets but train stations, under buildings (East Croydon Sainsbury) and near famous sites (Big Ben).

Have the supermarkets ever thought about how this would affect shops on a local high street? Mr.P.Rajesh, who owns RTC Minimart, is appalled by the way the supermarket have invaded his area. He thought of the supermarkets as ‘an unstoppable armada’ and clearly referred to the supermarkets as ‘selfish and ‘ignorant’. He believes that local businesses won’t be able to cope with such a competitive market, and in turn will have to close down. Supermarkets have the ability and the resources to be able to popup shop anyway. On the other hand local shops will not be able to move away or set up shop elsewhere. The local depend on their local high street shops, and the local high street shops depend on their customers.

Sathya Mohanathasan

Whitgift school