Major supermarkets’ interests lie solely in the pockets of their shareholders and not in the interests of the small retailers (aka competition) that they seek to displace. A supermarket is an essential thing for a town to have these days, but they are to be handled with extreme caution and not to be trusted.

No doubt Tesco are keen to ensure that linked trips become a feature of shopping in Oswestry, as long as the final stop is in their store to spend the bulk of the shopping budget. I’m sure the off-road footpath *out* of town and enhanced bus route will play large parts in creating that link.

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Sorry, I didn’t realise that as part of the planning application Tesco (or indeed any of the other hypermegasuperstore owners) submitted, one of the clauses was that they have to implant brain control machines into the heads of all the local residents.

Yes any major supermarket will attract customers, but if soooooo many people are concerned about damaging trade in your local shops that are already ‘suffering’, why the heck haven’t you been supporting them before now !!!!

Ohh and by the way, you don’t have to shop at Tesco if you don’t want to …. apparently there are some very good local stores nearby you can frequent !!!!

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The door of the proposed Tesco is approximately 1 km from the Cross. So five minutes to the centre requires a really brisk pace of walking! I’m very fit & I certainly can’t do it in five minutes, even without carrying shopping!

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“Tesco’s look to work with chambers of commerce and retail groups to publicise local shops and services within our store localities?”
Yeh right.You’re a monopoly Mr.Fletcher,you don’t give two hoots about local shops.You’ll try any means to get your stores built.Your use of management speak in your letter won’t convince anybody that Tesco’s is well meaning in its approach to try and get planning permission for your proposed Oswestry store.

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i thought it sounded quite convincing if im honest. at the end of the day WE are the ones that made tesco who they are today!!! its so easy and very british to knock a success story but they really are an inspiration for business. i know this comment will be ripped to shreds but at the end of the day half the people reading this article will probably set foot in that store if it gets built. Tesco- Love them or hate them they are going to be here for a very long time. Every little helps i know it does for me :D

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The cattle market is the ideal place for a new supermarket and cinema. The central carpark is to small and the Richard Burbidge site has already a Morrisons, Aldi, Sainsburys and Iceland all within a few minutes walk of the site. But on the cattle market site the nearest super market or shop is a fair distance away plus there will still be room left over to build more stores like clothing, electrical if the need for them arises in the future.

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Footfall is the lifeblood of retailers and that’s why we don’t want an out of town Tescos. The Burbidge site is not on the edge of the town centre as anyone who lived in Oswestry could tell you. It’s over a kilometer away. Even on a sunny day that’s too far OUT OF TOWN. The linkage between the Burbidge site and the town centre has not been thought through.

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yeah right

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All spin. Like Tony McElroy, another Tesco corporate front end man, (and former labout party spin doctor), Lucy Neville Rolfe (ex cabinet office mandarin), David North (Blair private secretary), Lord Philip Gould (Blair former aide and PR consultant for Tesco, I’m certain that Mr Fletcher displays the characteristics of one who has been through the new world order training programme of Common Purpose DEMOS-linked fabian groupies (headed by the CEO who says “in the post-democratic era… we are ready to lead”). Tesco is now a Bank, real estate agent, lawfirm, “grocer”, chemist, cafe, optician, insurance provider, anything you, the public want them to be. By voting in various general elections, you have brought this situation about in responding to politicians who promise to deliver the earth for less cost every election. The alignment of Tesco with central government departments has been achieved through invisible lobbying agents who advise local councils in the capacity of planning consultants when applications are submitted. Remember, you the public chose this trajectory in history. I’m not anti-Tesco, one might as well be anti-Coop or anti Morrisons for the same reasons.

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@ 18,” Tesco is now a Bank, Real estate agent,Law firm, Grocer, Chemist, Cafe, Optician and Insurance provider “…………………Yes but apart from that what have the Romans ever done for us..

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they all thought a tesco would ruin ludlow, it didn’t

The reason being that it is the only supermarket and IS in the town centre

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Latest offer in the recently-opened Ellesmere tescos – ‘Spend £30, get £10 back’.
If that is an affordable offer, it should be nationally available at tescos. It isn’t – because, short-term, it loses them money. But long-term it drives into the ground any already-established local stores. Simple, init?
If that is competition, then it has the word ‘unfair’ plastered all over it. Tescos are prepared to trade at a loss for a considerable time to drive the competition out of business – then up go the prices, a monopoly is acheived, no choice left.
Keep fighting, Oswestry – 4,000 letters of objection must mean something in a town this size. There’s no law that says ‘See a vacant lot, fill it with a superstore’ – we can do so much better than that.

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