Supermarkets, business etc etc

Went to see Mum yesterday in Chatteris, on the way I noticed that the new ALDI was not looking like its conversion from a COOP was underway, hmmnn I thought, was supposed to be open soon.

Why did the COOP close, well my suggestion runs as follows.

TESCO had a big new supermarket built off the bypass causing all sorts of local issues with traffic and diversion of a drain, it was due to open early this year, then when the wheels fell off TESCO financially they decided it wasn't going to open at all despite a rumoured 25 year lease on the building so there it still sits on a site that should also house a new Travis Perkins depot.

Meanwhile COOP see TESCO supermarket taking shape, they have been in Chatteris years running a store that was big, but did it do enough trade and take the decision to close, lets face it they have financial problems as well. I can guess it was not an easy decision to take or perhaps stop when TESCO announced its brand new swish supermarket was not opening.

ALDI now come into the frame. They were announced as taking on the COOP store and local rumour had it, it would open within a month of COOP closing. All COOP signage was down very quick after it closed.

Now ALDI are saying it could be 2016 before they open and Chatteris has just one small Budgens and a couple of even smaller convenience stores to supply its needs, as locals say you cannot do a big shop in the town now and have to travel miles.

So what am I bumbling on about, business large and small only exists with customers and staff prepared to buy from them or work for them. To my mind they forget this too many times and its customers and staff who lose out while they sit there wiping out a line of words on a list of stores.

It doesn't matter to them one bit that a town like Chatteris with its large surrounding area of farms is now without somewhere that people can do a weekly shop. Its all about finance and competition and long term strategy.

Still there has to be a winner in here somewhere and lord help Chatteris its UKIP who are according to a local newspaper running a minibus once a week for folk to get to another nearby town with two supermarkets.