Sale of the Marple CO-OP to ASDA

[barndoor]

No 4 in the Sunday Times Top Track 100 league table means that John Lewis have the  4th highest turnover among the UK’s private companies. So what? Walmart  have the second highest turnover among all companies, both private and public, throughout the world so, presumably, that makes Asda far, far better than Waitrose?

So who came first in the Which ”Best Supermarket ” award? Was it not, for the second year running and the third time in the past five years,  Aldi?  The same company that has just pushed John Lewis off the top of the list as Retailer of the Year in the trade magazine, “Retail Week”, awards. The same company that won The Grocer magazine’s “Grocer of the Year” award in 2013. Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and Asda all had to make acceptance speeches for lesser awards but, yet again, Waitrose failed to reach the podium.

Nowhere in my missive did I compare Waitrose to Aldi, or to Sainsbury's, or indeed to Morrisons (which, incidentally, has lately found itself in a bit of serious schtuck, The Grocer magazine award or not). I was merely responding to Simonsaffron's Duke Fame's fatuous claim that Waitrose is worse than the Co-op.

However you make some claims which ought to be clarified to allow the impartial reader to draw an informed conclusion.

While Aldi bagged the top place in Which? magazine's survey this year, it's worth emphasising that seven consecutive years' winner Waitrose came in second. To clarify, with the exception of 2014, it's won it every year since the award's inception. The Co-op came in last. I'm no ranking specialist, but I'm pretty certain that in a field of more than two entrants 'second' is higher up the table than 'last'.

And The Grocer magazine? Both Waitrose and the Co-op 'failed to reach the podium'; so your anti-Waitrose argument is weakened by what some may term 'exclusionary detailing'. I will be interested to read the outcome of the 2014 awards ceremony this coming Tuesday...

[simonesaffron]

I think that the acquisition of the co-op by Asda will make everybody re-think the situation at least I hope that it will.

There is a traffic conundrum in Marple which nobody as far as I know has been able to solve. I think that Asda will be successful in Marple and that they will bring a competitively priced quality product to the town. This though will bring more traffic and if they ultimately extend their store then it will bring even more. Then there are the traffic implications if Chadwick Street is developed.

Where are all these cars going to go does anybody know. How are we going to ameliorate this traffic situation if we have two 25,000 sf supermarkets within three hundred metres of each other in Marple.?   

[ROTHERS]

The coop at Marple doesn't have a petrol station .are Asda buying the small coop with the petrol station .at the bot am of Marple as well ... Think you may be a bit mixed up with this .

Mixed up ?? The petrol station that has the Co-op in it, simple.

[marpleexile]

I have the same information Simone. As I understand it there are one and a half retailers interested in the site. One is very very interested and other is still thinking.

Are interested, or were interested? I would have thought that coop selling to Asda might make them reconsider as Asda will provide real a competitor where as the coop wouldn't have.

[simonesaffron]

Go on Wheels tell us who they are.

Aldi are alright but if we're having an ASDA my preference would be for an  M & S Food give us a bit of balance.

[JMC]

I have the same information Simone. As I understand it there are one and a half retailers interested in the site. One is very very interested and other is still thinking.

Can you tell us who these retailers are please? I am hoping one is Aldi or Lidl.

[alstan]

No 4 in the Sunday Times Top Track 100 league table means that John Lewis have the  4th highest turnover among the UK’s private companies. So what? Walmart  have the second highest turnover among all companies, both private and public, throughout the world so, presumably, that makes Asda far, far better than Waitrose?

So who came first in the Which ”Best Supermarket ” award? Was it not, for the second year running and the third time in the past five years,  Aldi?  The same company that has just pushed John Lewis off the top of the list as Retailer of the Year in the trade magazine, “Retail Week”, awards. The same company that won The Grocer magazine’s “Grocer of the Year” award in 2013. Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and Asda all had to make acceptance speeches for lesser awards but, yet again, Waitrose failed to reach the podium.

[wheels]

Been in the pub again Duke?

A friend of mine is very close to the Marketing Director for Waitrose and she told me that Waitrose have no interest whatsoever in Marple.

Apparently Waitrose were approached by SMBC'S agents about Chadwick Street and politely declined to even enter into the discussion.  Marple doesn't contain the right type of ..."brand direction" for Waitrose. I'm not really sure what that means, I think it means that we've got to many Council houses - anyway it looks like Waitrose won't be coming to Marple - that won't please the Snooties,       

I have the same information Simone. As I understand it there are one and a half retailers interested in the site. One is very very interested and other is still thinking.

[barndoor]

Waitrose is worse thaN THE CO-OP. Over-priced and over-packaged bought by fools who can;t read labels

Waitrose worse than the Co-op?

Ah yes, Waitrose: Which? magazine's second-favourite supermarket; described by the New Statesman as having a 'stellar' performance 'with significant advancements in both total and like-for-like sales'; and the food retailing division of John Lewis Partnership, one of Britain's most successful companies (no. 4 in the Sunday Times Top Track 100 league table).

You can verify all of this for yourself by searching for 'Waitrose successes'.

They're clearly much worse than the Co-op which came last in the same Which? magazine poll; whose state of its finances is so parlous it is having to sell off supermarkets, farms and pharmacies; and whose former bank boss acquired the sobriquet 'Crystal Methodist' after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine, crystal meth and ketamine. The new Chief Executive admitted the business he inherited was 'failing in its basic function for customers'.

Yes, I can see how you can claim Waitrose to be worse than the Co-op.

Try searching for 'Co-op successes': it's a bit like the old joke where Googling 'French military victories' returns the page 'Did you mean French military defeats?'

[amazon]

There's one in Cheadle Hulme, which is about as suburban as it gets!  And there are plenty of council houses there too.  But it doesn't surprise me that Waitrose are not interested in coming here.  It may be something to do with the age profile - Marple has a greater % of older residents than most other parts of Stockport.  Perhaps Waitrose see themselves as aimed at the young and upwardly mobile?    

But they do have a posher type roundabout . With sort of road layout .poyton I mean

[barndoor]

I'll continue to use the local butchers and green grocers regardless of the store conversion.

I'm with you on that one, Middle wood: I shop locally wherever I can and think the Marple butchers and greengrocers are fantastic. Why? There's a widely-held perception that supermarkets offer better value, and while that's possibly true for some items, I've found by using a small independent I'm getting much better quality and often quantity than any supermarket I've been able to find.

What a shame it is that some people will only ever look at the headline price and cheerfully ignore what they're actually getting for their money.

[Dave]

There's one in Cheadle Hulme, which is about as suburban as it gets!  And there are plenty of council houses there too.  But it doesn't surprise me that Waitrose are not interested in coming here.  It may be something to do with the age profile - Marple has a greater % of older residents than most other parts of Stockport.  Perhaps Waitrose see themselves as aimed at the young and upwardly mobile?     

[alstan]

I am not surprised, Simone. You wont usually find a Waitrose in a suburban dormitory town.

[simonesaffron]

Waitrose is worse thaN THE CO-OP. Over-priced and over-packaged bought by fools who can;t read labels

Been in the pub again Duke?

A friend of mine is very close to the Marketing Director for Waitrose and she told me that Waitrose have no interest whatsoever in Marple.

Apparently Waitrose were approached by SMBC'S agents about Chadwick Street and politely declined to even enter into the discussion.  Marple doesn't contain the right type of ..."brand direction" for Waitrose. I'm not really sure what that means, I think it means that we've got to many Council houses - anyway it looks like Waitrose won't be coming to Marple - that won't please the Snooties,       

[Duke Fame]

The sale doesnt include the petrol station, and apparently Waitrose were in the mix too to purchase it.
(according to the lady who served me today).

Waitrose is worse thaN THE CO-OP. Over-priced and over-packaged bought by fools who can;t read labels