Groceries Market Investigation

30 April 2007

Dear Sir

I am writing to you as a resident and businesswoman of Sheringham in Norfolk principally because of my increasing concern at the misrepresentation in the national media of the views of many people in Sheringham concerning the proposed Tesco supermarket for the Town.

The implication that the arrival of a Tesco supermarket will adversely affect the other shops in Sheringham and that local people are all opposed to Tesco is simply not the case. Furthermore, the suggestion that Tesco have somehow 'bullied' the local District Council is equally without foundation. .Indeed, I became so concerned about the anti Tesco bias in the reporting of the whole issue that late last year; I started PROTESC to provide a focus for local supporters of the Tesco scheme to try to ensure that our voice could be clearly heard.

The main reason why I and I believe the majority of local residents support a Tesco's supermarket proposal is because we do not have a decent food store in Sheringham.

The idea propagated by opponents of the scheme that it's okay for people to travel to Cromer or even further afield to do their food shopping is surely unsustainable in both environmental and social terms.

There are many people in Sheringham particularly the elderly, less well off and young mothers who cannot just jump into the car and drive to Cromer, Fakenham or Norwich to buy their food. Yes, it is possible to buy a variety of food items in Sheringham (sold in shops that are classed as large village stores) at the moment but prices are generally much higher than in a supermarket and to my mind it is completely wrong to deny Sheringham people the right to buy reasonably priced food in their own Town.

I find it very curious that some of the leading opponents of the Tesco proposal are local shopkeepers who sell goods which one is very unlikely to find in a Tesco, particularly in the size of the one intended for Sheringham. Interestingly, one of our leading local butchers with a shop in both Sheringham and Cromer has successfully traded in Cromer despite there being three large supermarkets in the town so I really do not understand why there is so much opposition to a Tesco coming to Sheringham.

In conclusion, I think the most important issue of all is the question of choice. At the moment local people do not have a proper choice of food store in Sheringham. If Tesco receive planning consent for their store then we will have genuine choice.

Yours sincerely
Pam Blyth

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