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nef reaction to Tesco growth figures: "It's the rise of a suffocating retail 'super clone'"
As Tesco released their latest sales figures, responses to nef's Clone Town Britain survey (to be released in late spring this yeat), reveal that for community groups resisting Tesco's onslaught up and down the country, it was far from the 'best Christmas for customers".
Tesco's sales figures show that their aggressive pursuit of market dominance is working. But Tesco's strategy will mean the death of diversity on UK high streets, ultimately reducing consumer choice and obliterating many small suppliers and independent stores
"Ignoring local campaigns against them, Tesco is shoving themselves down the thoats of consumers, whether they like it or not. The danger of Tesco's rise is that it becomes a one way street. Once small independent stores get sent to the wall, there are often insurmountable barriers to get back into the high street. Then consumers get left with only the choice of shopping in one or two mammoth stores who effectively dictate what we eat." said Andrew Simms, nef's Policy Director.
"Small, unfunded but passionate community groups are resisting Tesco's onslaught, but unless the stores voracious appetite is reigned in, we risk becoming a one supermarket state.
"There seems to be no limit to Tesco’s ambition, and the regulatory field is tilted in their favour. If the government is to be the entrepreneurs’ friend and save space in the market for smaller, independent businesses, they will need regulators with teeth. Four years ago the Competition Commission said our supermarkets were too concentrated and abused their market power, now the situation is worse and nothing has been done.
"Tesco's triumph is at the expense of local economies, small suppliers, independent stores and consumer choice".
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