Tesco / ASDA !!!

[Cyberman]

Here's an article which summarises one reason why I don't want a big supermarket in Marple.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/18/pays-tesco-ceo-wages-we-do

For Tesco substitute Asda, Sainsburys, or Morrisons. But not the Co-op, because a) they don't exploit their suppliers and b) they pass on their profit to customers.  

[Miss Marple]

How bizarre !  I walked into Marple on Sat got all my shopping got the  bus home,  had an on line delivery of 10 Jars of Carte Noire which were on offer at Tesco for £4.00 for 200g  jar.   No petrol used, boosted the local economy and saved £2.68 on each jar of coffee 
[/quote

But you didn't shop local .you shopped at tesco online .

No ! Only 10 jars of coffee on the home delivery saving well over £25.00  So saved petrol, planet and didn't add to the traffic congestion ! 

[amazon]

How bizarre !  I walked into Marple on Sat got all my shopping got the  bus home,  had an on line delivery of 10 Jars of Carte Noire which were on offer at Tesco for £4.00 for 200g  jar.   No petrol used, boosted the local economy and saved £2.68 on each jar of coffee 
[/quote

But you didn't shop local .you shopped at tesco online .

[Miss Marple]

How bizarre !  I walked into Marple on Sat got all my shopping got the  bus home,  had an on line delivery of 10 Jars of Carte Noire which were on offer at Tesco for £4.00 for 200g  jar.   No petrol used, boosted the local economy and saved £2.68 on each jar of coffee 

[Dave]

Who knows, all these trips secured within Marple might actually be beneifical to some of the local shops. Again speaking personally, I could see myself using Marple town centre more if I could combine a specialist shop with a supermarket shop,

I went shopping in Stockport this morning.  As usual, I parked at Sainsbury's (but you can also do this at Asda, of course), went in and picked up a few fruit and veg and a loaf to get my £1 refunded, and then strolled off to Comet, Argos, Marks and Sparks and the market to do the rest of my shopping.  

That's what we can expect when Asda comes to Marple - a proportion of Asda shoppers will use the opportunity to visit other local shops while they are here.  This increased footfall should provide a major boost to most local businesses.  Of course, there will be winners and losers.  The chief losers will be the Co-op, Iceland, Boots and Superdrug.  But they are big national chains who we don't need to shed many tears for, do we!    

On the other hand, the winners will outnumber those, and they will also be the small local businesses.  In Market Street I'm thinking of the hairdressers, the two jewellers, the picture framer, Alan's Paints, Harmony Decor, Crafty Ladies, Sew In, Helen Winterson, Bare Necessities, the opticians, the charity shops, Paul Howard, also Harrods car spares, and the tanning salon and the chippy in Derby Way - all the many businesses where Asda won't directly compete.  Why some of these are displaying a 'No' poster mystifies me!  

The other likely effect should be a shift in Marple's 'centre of gravity' away from the Co-op/Hollins area, and towards the south (Church Lane) end of Market Street, because it will be only a short walk from the Asda car park.  

[Belly]

Don't underestimate the draw of the canal, parks and views which bring people in from Manchester and other nearby areas. Having worked in Manchester for many years I have met many, many people who visit Marple principally to enjoy these wonderful assets of ours.

On this point we agree, I work with many from around the Stockport area and beyond who regularly visit the Marple area for the above.
Would they be put off by the likely increase in Traffic a large Supermarket would bring at weekends.

Why would there be a large increase in traffic in Marple at the weekends because of a new supermarket sized to meet the local (currently supermarketless) Marple catchment? If you take what Bowden Guy suggests then it is quite possible that a large number of Marple folk would, in future, 'stay local' and shop in the new local supermarket in Marple 'town centre' rather than driving out of the town to a supermarket in say Bredbury, Glossop, Hazel Grove or Stockport.

Speaking personally, provision of a new supermarket in Marple would probably remove my current Saturday mornng trip to Sainsburys or Tesco along Stockport Road - so providing an opportunity for a visitor to the town to make use of the roadspace I am currently taking up!

How do you know the Supermarket is going to be sized to just suit the Marple Catchment Area?
And as you say most people drive away from Marple to do their shopping to Bredbury, Glossop, Hazel Grove or Stockport. For example some at present somebody who lives in the Rose Hill Area and shops in Stockport
would instead of going away from Marple would instead drive through Marple to get to Hibbert Lane. Also someone who lives in Marple Bridge and at present shops in Glossop would change the journey to travel through the centre of Marple instead of away from etc etc.

How do you know it won't? Thats the point, no one knows and yet lots of terrifying pronouncements are being made on the impact of the store. Logically (at least!) why would it be sized much larger, given that Marple is circled by other supermarkets and is notoriously difficult to access by car. I can't see any reason why people would drive into Marple from outside the toen to use a supermarket here, when there are already lots of other more easily accessible alternatives. Given that Marple's population is 25,000+ thats a lot of potential users to a new store, where currently there is little local alternative.

Your arguments re: routeing appears based on a negative perception - all the examples you give are possible, as are the exact opposite (i.e. someone from Marple Bridge who currently shops in Tesco's would then not travel down stockport road, someone who lives in Hawk Green and shops in Bredbury could swap to the local alternative). Trying to unravel that, that way madness lies.... the point I was trying to make is that 100's of trips in Marple will not suddenly appear 'as new' as a result of the supermarket. Studies show that new supermarkets in fact capture diversion trips (nearby and popped in), pass-by trips (passing by and popped in), transfer trips (swapped from a different store), etc. Very little of the traffic is stimulated by the presence of the supermarket itself - i.e. brand new retail trips.

Who knows, all these trips secured within Marple might actually be beneifical to some of the local shops. Again speaking personally, I could see myself using Marple town centre more if I could combine a specialist shop with a supermarket shop, but then perhaps I go against the norm in that respect.

[jethroh65]

Don't underestimate the draw of the canal, parks and views which bring people in from Manchester and other nearby areas. Having worked in Manchester for many years I have met many, many people who visit Marple principally to enjoy these wonderful assets of ours.

On this point we agree, I work with many from around the Stockport area and beyond who regularly visit the Marple area for the above.
Would they be put off by the likely increase in Traffic a large Supermarket would bring at weekends.

Why would there be a large increase in traffic in Marple at the weekends because of a new supermarket sized to meet the local (currently supermarketless) Marple catchment? If you take what Bowden Guy suggests then it is quite possible that a large number of Marple folk would, in future, 'stay local' and shop in the new local supermarket in Marple 'town centre' rather than driving out of the town to a supermarket in say Bredbury, Glossop, Hazel Grove or Stockport.

Speaking personally, provision of a new supermarket in Marple would probably remove my current Saturday mornng trip to Sainsburys or Tesco along Stockport Road - so providing an opportunity for a visitor to the town to make use of the roadspace I am currently taking up!

How do you know the Supermarket is going to be sized to just suit the Marple Catchment Area?
And as you say most people drive away from Marple to do their shopping to Bredbury, Glossop, Hazel Grove or Stockport. For example some at present somebody who lives in the Rose Hill Area and shops in Stockport
would instead of going away from Marple would instead drive through Marple to get to Hibbert Lane. Also someone who lives in Marple Bridge and at present shops in Glossop would change the journey to travel through the centre of Marple instead of away from etc etc.

[Belly]

Don't underestimate the draw of the canal, parks and views which bring people in from Manchester and other nearby areas. Having worked in Manchester for many years I have met many, many people who visit Marple principally to enjoy these wonderful assets of ours.

On this point we agree, I work with many from around the Stockport area and beyond who regularly visit the Marple area for the above.
Would they be put off by the likely increase in Traffic a large Supermarket would bring at weekends.

Why would there be a large increase in traffic in Marple at the weekends because of a new supermarket sized to meet the local (currently supermarketless) Marple catchment? If you take what Bowden Guy suggests then it is quite possible that a large number of Marple folk would, in future, 'stay local' and shop in the new local supermarket in Marple 'town centre' rather than driving out of the town to a supermarket in say Bredbury, Glossop, Hazel Grove or Stockport.

Speaking personally, provision of a new supermarket in Marple would probably remove my current Saturday mornng trip to Sainsburys or Tesco along Stockport Road - so providing an opportunity for a visitor to the town to make use of the roadspace I am currently taking up!

[jethroh65]

Don't underestimate the draw of the canal, parks and views which bring people in from Manchester and other nearby areas. Having worked in Manchester for many years I have met many, many people who visit Marple principally to enjoy these wonderful assets of ours.

On this point we agree, I work with many from around the Stockport area and beyond who regularly visit the Marple area for the above.
Would they be put off by the likely increase in Traffic a large Supermarket would bring at weekends.

[Dave]

Hi Bowden Guy I hope you don't take offence but if you wanted to be near a supermarket why move to Marple? Just a thought because I like living in MARPLE because there isn't a large e supermarket. 

Surprising though it may seem, Miss M, most of us are not preoccupied with supermarkets.  They are not a major factor in determining where we choose to live.  I too like living in Marple, but the reasons for that have nothing whatsoever to do with whether we have a large supermarket or not.   And by the way, it's me that does most of the food shopping in the Dave household. 

[JMC]

I wonder how many people travel from other areas into Marple with the sole purpose of shopping at the Co-op? The Co-op that is ridiculously overpriced compared to other supermarkets and where you are lucky to see the shelves actually stocked with what you require.  We have lived in Marple for 11 years and have never done our "weekly shop" at the Co-op - we travel over to Morrisons at Bredbury. If ASDA or TESCO or Sainsbury's were to open a larger store in Marple we would almost certainly shop in the town, thereby saving all those car miles each year.

I think Bowden guy makes a good point. I have lived in Marple since early childhood and also have never done more than 'top up' shopping at the Co-op because of the cost, also found staff rude in the past (they do seem better now though). I think there would be alot of people who would use a store and whether this would outweigh traffic coming in would be interesting to look into/estimate.

[Miss Marple]

Hi Bowden Guy I hope you don't take offence but if you wanted to be near a supermarket why move to Marple? Just a thought because I like living in MARPLE because there isn't a large e supermarket.  I was born here so did not really choose where I lived but you did I am just a little confused that's all

[Bowden Guy]

I wonder how many people travel from other areas into Marple with the sole purpose of shopping at the Co-op? The Co-op that is ridiculously overpriced compared to other supermarkets and where you are lucky to see the shelves actually stocked with what you require.  We have lived in Marple for 11 years and have never done our "weekly shop" at the Co-op - we travel over to Morrisons at Bredbury. If ASDA or TESCO or Sainsbury's were to open a larger store in Marple we would almost certainly shop in the town, thereby saving all those car miles each year.

[Dave]

We will be living a long time with the outcomes of decisions we make now, and our children will have to deal with the consequences.

Amen - that's one of the most thoughtful and important things anyone has written in all 1,253 posts on this thread!  
    
That said, although I go along with much of what sleepless writes, I fear that if politicians 'listened to taxpayers' the main thing they would hear is that we want to pay less tax.........    

[sleepless]

Hi Dave, you make valid points and are certainly right about the hard times we are all currently facing, but there is a bigger picture here and I think we need to look hard at the long term consequences of some of the, albeit difficult, decisions we take now.  I would prefer it if our younger generation, on leaving college, had a choice of rewarding and progressive careers in a variety of thriving and developing SMEs, rather have to stack shelves and drive delivery vans for the supermarket chains which have put those same SMEs out of business.  Should we not instead be insisting that our politicians find more “imaginative and resourceful” solutions to educational funding than selling out our communities and small businesses to supermarkets, and that they listen to taxpayers rather than the lobbyists?  Perhaps they could tackle the tax avoidance loopholes exploited by large corporations (see Vodafone for the latest example) and wealthy individuals (capital gains tax and stamp duty on second homes), or reform our banking and finance systems?  We will be living a long time with the outcomes of decisions we make now, and our children will have to deal with the consequences.