Supermarket will 'wreck' Ulverston and the local economy (From The Westmorland Gazette)

I am getting sick of the Keep Ulverston Special brigade, who are a small minority, shouting loudest about how this and that development will ruin the town. Obviously they are not unemployed and desperately trying to find jobs in the area.

The town itself offers very little that we need on a daily basis, and I don't have the time to go trawling through every store to try and get everything... if it is available... which I need. Tell me, where can I buy clothes for babies and toddlers in town? No where - we have to go to Barrow for that. We need more options locally, we need more employment locally... and we need a bunch of self serving individuals to get with the modern world.

The town center can survive this, the traders need to adapt and offer something different or better service to compete against the incoming supermarket. If they can do this then we win out in every way. If they can't... well why are they in business anyway. We don't owe the town's traders a living and an existence, after all - they are the service industry, not us as paying customers.

It will only wreck the town if people go to it

Misleading headline Rachel. Neither me nor any of my friends have heard or been part of any 'outcry'. The vast majority of the people of Ulverston want this. We want more choice. Yes a town centre site would possibly be preferable but there isn't one that is big enough and this really isn't very far from the centre, it's closer than Booths and it's on the right side of town to pull in shoppers from Dalton and Barrow.

I have already put this following comment on another paper's website...

'So can somebody explain why people who have the choice now of shopping at Booths or the Barrow supermarkets but prefer to shop in Ulverston town centre are likely to suddenly change their habits if the Sainsbury's is built? Surely most of Sainsbury's trade will come from people shifting from Booths or the other supermarkets and possibly some of those who currently shop in Barrow will then also do some shopping in Ulverston town centre instead'.

Please don't think for a second that 'Keep Ulverston Special' speaks for the population of Ulverston - it doesn't. EVERY person I've spoken to about this supermarket has been strongly in favour. 'KUS' speaks for itself and it's own interests, it does NOT represent the general feeling of the residents of Ulverston.

Misleading headline - bring Sainsburys to Ulverston - excellent scheme to bring jobs to the town and bring us facilities for the 21st Century. This is a great location on the A590 We need the jobs this development will bring in the supermarket and the adjoining employment units. Come on South Lakeland Councillors, listen to the majority of Ulverstonians - we want this development.

I am not part of the Keep Ulverston Special Group. Initially I was in favour of the Robinson's Brewery site supermarket as I thought it would complement existing traders in the town and provide an alternative to Booths.
I took the trouble to investigate the proposal put forward by Sainsbury in August and published an interview with their representative which I believed would inform the public in a neutral way as to what was proposed.
As someone who was present at their display for three hours on their final day I find the publicity coming from Sainsbury regarding the views of local people to be downright dishonest and worthy of very competent politicians who are good at convincing people that black is white.
I too have discussed the topic with about fifty of my friends and 90% believe that any supermarket will undermine the long term future of the town of Ulverston. I am now convinced that another supermarket would be disastrous. Upgrade the Co-op which is owned by us : Yes. But large remotely run businesses : No
The reason is that at present the trade in the town, for the most part is run well by local people. These are canny businessmen who work with local suppliers to get good produce at low prices. Both Deborah Robinson and myself have independently done thorough surveys of local prices that show that that a combination of well run shops like Brocklebanks and Smith and Harrisons can supply a wider variety of goods at lower prices than the supermarkets.
Supermarkets are a thing of the past they are on their way out because of their inefficiency and inability to operate flexibly at a local level. Their transport costs will always be high and are rising as fuel prices increase. Something made in Dalton will be trundled all the way to Manchester only to travel all the way back to Dalton to be sold there. The local businessman buys locally from other efficient producers with working conditions with negligible transport cost.
Supermarkets do not provide new jobs because they put the smaller local suppliers out of business in favour of the distant large scale supplier with dubious hire-and-fire policies and in some cases illegal immigrant workers.
Secondly large is not necessarily better. These companies are run by remote executives who act for the benefit of the large company. Thus in say ten years, they could decide that an Ulverston store isn't as effective as a larger one in Kendal. The smaller Ulverston store which will get closed.
They won't care a toss about how that leaves Ulverston. Yes you could argue that Ulverston is thirty years behind the rest of the country. With the present economic situation this could well be it's salvation.
My plea is for everyone to think carefully about the future and not plump for the 'cheaper' option - in the future this could prove the expensive one which holds a monopoly. No in my view small, local and quickly flexible is the service to vote for. Ulverston, in spite of it's poor politicians has still got the makings of being special. Now at last there are the signs that even the political scene is at the beginning of a shake up thanks to the likes of Jane Harris - one our new and energetic Councillors - and there are more waiting off stage ready to step in - in Five years time Ulverston could be truly special.
Vote “No” to Sainsbury and any other supermarket. Resist their slick highly professional and dishonest way of winning an argument. Resist big business. Have faith in your local loyal nose-to-the-grindsto
ne businessman not a remote disinterested cold-blooded executive with an office at the top of a sky scraper with a team of suited PR persuaders and highly paid lawyers who know how to operate just on the right side of the line of legality. People who know how to pull the right string and are even skilled at the back hander.

Wonder how often you do a full weekly shop for a family Geoff? Most of us are short on time and money and we need more choice.
I repeat ......'can somebody explain why people who have the choice now of shopping at Booths or the Barrow supermarkets but prefer to shop in Ulverston town centre are likely to suddenly change their habits if the Sainsbury's is built? Surely most of Sainsbury's trade will come from people shifting from Booths or the other supermarkets and possibly some of those who currently shop in Barrow will then also do some shopping in Ulverston town centre instead'?”

This is how it works kw.
People who shop at Booths will continue to do so because they like the range and can afford it. Most people who shop in the town will continue to do so because they find it convenient and there are some who do it on principle.
A significant minority will switch to the superstore because its a 2 to 5 minute drive instead of 15 to 20. This will be enough for them to change habit. Here's the rub.The smaller retailers/chains need that marginal business to keep afloat. Not overnight but with time that loss of business will push them into negative net earnings and they will have to shut up shop.
Good, you and your sympathisers may say, who needs these small retailers? All I want is lots of choice, cheap and on my doorstep.
What you will get is a choice of a couple of major outlets selling the same old stuff, eventually at fixed up prices, and a town centre that will be a real joy to behold. Not that you care.