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Reading Chronicle

Published: Thursday, 1st April, 2010 11:00am

11th Tesco is in store

Profile by Alan Bunce

Comments (2) | Print | Email

YET another Tesco is coming to town - the 11th.

The former Blockbuster store opposite the Broad Street Mall is set to become home to one of the superstore's Express branches. The company is close to submitting a planning application for new signs for part of the unit at 28-36 Oxford Road, which already has planning permission for retail use.

Spokeswoman Melanie Chiswell said: "The store is aimed at those people living and working within a very small radius where you can walk to work. It enables people to top up their shopping rather than driving to a supermarket."

Greg Costello, who owns Workhouse Coffee in Oxford Road and has just opened another branch in King Street, said: "I just despair. I'm sure footfall on the Oxford Road has dropped 70% since the big Tesco opened here and there's no-one to even discuss it with because so many have gone out of business. There should be some diversity - it was good when there was a video shop there.

"There are people out there who want to sell us the most fantastic hand-made, home-produced stuff but they just can't because the big players dominate."

For the full story and much more reaction, see today's Reading Chronicle.

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

  • Ewan Larcombe
    Unregistered User
    Apr 2, 08:58
    Comment: 8913

    Beware - the Tesco objectives of global marketplace domination and maximised profit are in sight. Not content with their big stores, buying power (to the detriment of farmers) and purchasing land to prevent competition, Tescos have now targetted the villages. A loophole in the planning law allows class A3 (restaurant) to be changed to A1 (shop) under permitted development. Tescos are now buying sites with existing A3 use and creating 'Express' outlets.

    Existing local shops are thus put out of business overnight without an opportunity to raise their concerns.
    Report this comment

  • Tom
    Unregistered User
    Apr 5, 11:55
    Comment: 8963

    I'm all for it, Tesco's is a british company that provides the area with much needed jobs and value products, if that isn't the case they wouldn't be as successful as they are today. The present site has been vacant for sometime now, looks pretty awful and is close to the centre of a town that wants to become a city.

    I also think the headline is a little mis-leading as only up until the Tesco in the market place opened recently, Sainsbury's has had a "Big-Four" monopoly hold on Reading town centre. Therefore Tesco is providing the consumer with choice and injecting competition into the local market. All this non-sense about local businesses going out of business doesn't make sense to me, since there aren't any local businesses in the area anyway, it's not like Subway, Argos or Somerfield are going to "close overnight" since a new Tesco has opened shop.

    If you don't like them, simply don't shop at them.
    Report this comment

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