Side By Side?

In the 1950s my grandfather had a grocer’s shop.

It served the local community and delivered orders long  before the invention of Ocado. It also incidentally provided a source of student income for me and an introduction to running a small business at the same time. The shop was almost next to the local Sainsbury’s which had long marble top counters and numerous assistants who served up meats, bacon and tinned fruit. In those days it was possible for small business to coexist with the big boys – but only just. We would listen, with some amusement, to my grandfather’s tirades about how Sainsbury’s and the rest of the giants were taking over the High Street. That’s progress we thought. How right he was, it didn’t take too long before his small shop, Black & Lidbury, closed. I never found out why it was called that because his name was neither Black nor Lidbury. What he didn’t foresee wasnot only would the giants dominate the High  Streets of almost every borough in London but also the smaller streets as well.

I write this Eye with some trepidation because I am aware that there is a huge majority amongst our readers who favour supermarket shopping. In a recent local Guardian poll, 97% of Wimbledon’s residents voted in favour of – and have welcomed with open arms - the new Waitrose. It is evident that there is a huge desire for these new retail developments so by writing this Eye I am – perhaps single-handedly - challenging the popular trend when considering an alternative view.

As a nation we are rightly concerned about monopolies - it doesn’t take long to see the results when there is a lack of competition. Supermarkets appear to be establishing a monopoly: Wimbledon has seen the number of High Street supermarkets grow by approximately 30 %, increasing local through traffic on already busy and narrow streets, and drawing shoppers away from the town centre. The supermarkets counter argue that their smaller local shops are an attempt to cut down on car travel and decrease pollution. This is welcome.

Of course supermarkets offer a range of products and services that my grandfather would only have dreamed of, under one roof. However - as they step out of the traditional offering and increase their services to petrol, insurance, banking etc - are they threatening the local corner shops and other high street traders? The French, who are always keen on their local bread and wine shops have devised ways and means of the two systems – supermarkets and smaller/specialist outlets - living side by side. Surely it is within our capability to find a similar solution.

The Evening Standard tells us that London has already lost 7,000 small or individually owned shops in the last year. Are we to see the decline continue in the Merton and Wandsworth area? We know what my granddad predicted, but will you join the debate with us? Tell us your thoughts below.

Tony Kane is founder of Time & Leisure Media Group and editor of the Wimbledon, Wandsworth and Putney editions of Time & Leisure Magazine.