The Informer
Comment & Debate
3
Tesco and the death of the Irish town
In May 2010 I hosted a conference in Kilkenny as the City’s Mayor. The conference ‘Local Economies, Strong Communities’ had a range of international and national speakers on topic such as local currencies, sustainable farming, and local economic networks. One presentation stood out in my mind that day. It was from a Norfolk based retailer, Nigel Dowdney who along with other retailers fought a long drawn out battle to prevent a massive Tesco store opening near their town of Stalham. Similar campaigns are in existence right across the UK and they had the support of a network of campaign groups. I thought to myself, if only I had received such support from the business community in Kilkenny when I objected to planning permission for a Tesco store in Callan, Co Kilkenny, and later on a brownfield site on the edge of Kilkenny City. In fact, my concerns received little public or political support, but Kilkenny to this day remains the only county in Ireland without a presence of the retail giant. By December 2010 Tesco commanded a 27% share of the retail market in Ireland. This is massive buying power in food alone. However this figure masks Tesco’s broader impact on the High Street and, in particular, on family owned businesses. Tesco mobile, Tesco Bank, Tesco Insurance, motor fuel, CD’s, DVD’s, clothes, and now pharmacies; Tesco is the de facto High Steet of most towns. Everything can be obtained under one roof with acres of free surface car parking. Kilkenny has no Tesco store, yet I see their delivery vans whizzing around estates in the city on a daily basis. So people clearly want it. Devastating effect on family owned business
Yet it is having a devastating effect on family owned business, on dereliction of properties in city and town centres and in rural Ireland.
By Malcolm Noonan Predatory pricing is pushing many farm families towards bankruptcy as evidenced from this year’s potato crop. Policies on below cost selling of alcohol are contributing to a wider social disintegration and isolation. Therefore we are left with dilapidated town centres, with all of the social ills that brings, redundancies across the independent retail sector which combined with loss of farm incomes, easily negate any net job gains brought about by the opening of a Tesco store in an area. But our planners, local authorities, policymakers and the public at large are blissfully unaware of the devastation being caused to the very fabric of our communities. I’m not being melodramatic when I describe it as the death of the Irish town, for that’s what it is. Likewise it would be disingenuous of me not to mention the impact of the Lidl’s and Aldi’s on the dynamic of the retail sector. Their impact, while not benign is not as pronounced, given the fact that it is Tesco who set the agenda for others to follow. I would further contend that the lifting of the Groceries Order has led to widespread abuse of below cost selling and predatory pricing. We can change this
Much of the economic crisis is beyond our control now. What is in our control however is the ability of us all to play our part in developing strong resilient communities. As policymakers we have a role in ensuring that retail strategies and planning policies positively discriminate towards maintaining strong vibrant town centres and our economic policies protect local supply chains.
As conscious consumers we must be mindful that our shopping habits can have a profound effect on local employment, farm incomes and on the very physical environment we live in, our sense of place. Do we really want a homogenized version of Tesco world imposed on us? I feel there has been very little debate on the wider sociological impact of two decades of reckless and incoherent retail planning policy and this has been to the detriment of indigenous business, food suppliers and ultimately to communities all over this country. Malcolm Noonan is a Green Party County and Borough Councillor in Kilkenny and has been campaigning for the development of local economic networks, and for sustainable retail planning policies in Kilkenny. Kilkenny is the only county in the Republic of Ireland without a Tesco presence.
The Oral-B Competition Winners Mary Murphy, Dun Laoighaire; Helen Farrell, Lucan; Gertie Spring, Kingswood Heights, D24; Anne Newman, Dalkey; Mark O’Sullivan, Killiney; Joe Murphy, Dun Laoighaire; Aine Maguire, Swords; Paula Donnelly, Knocklyon; Gerry Murray, Santry; Angela Obrien, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon.
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