The future of Tesco's in East Devon

This blog has looked at the impact of Tesco's in this part of the world:
Futures Forum: Tesco's in East Devon
Futures Forum: Tesco's in Dorset
Futures Forum: Tesco's in Seaton

It has also looked at the attitude of the District Council towards the supermarket giants:
Futures Forum: District Council decides against the Local Retail Levy
Futures Forum: 'Planning gain' - the replacement for S106 cash from developers - the Community Infrastructure Levy - but is it still 'bribery' by a different name?
Futures Forum: The power of local government to determine the future of high streets
Futures Forum: 106 payments and the NPPF ... the repercussions for East Devon

... as well as the notion of supermarkets and the local economy:
Futures Forum: Can supermarkets ever be sustainable? ... 'Localising economies is a better way of making an economy more transparent and giving people more control.'
Futures Forum: New Economics Foundation: Clone Town Sidmouth? >>> "The towns most dependent on the biggest chains and out of town stores have proven to be most vulnerable to the economic crisis."
Futures Forum: Taking control of the food chain

... let alone the impact of the likes of Tesco's on the built environment:
Futures Forum: Woolwich Central and the Carbuncle Cup: "We worked and consulted with local communities and [the] developments have had a positive effect. We've created more than 1,000 jobs and built much-needed homes..."

In the light of today's disastrous figures for Tesco's
Tesco's decline laid bare: The true scale of the supermarket's disastrous mismanagement - Business News - Business - The Independent
Tesco Announces a £6.4 Billion Loss for the Past Year | South West News

... here is analysis of where we are now from the East Devon Watch blog:


TESCO LOSSES – WHAT IMPLICATIONS FOR EAST DEVON?

22nd April 2015

Tesco has announced its biggest annual loss ever – £6 billion, partly due to over-valuing their stores, reducing expansions and plugging a massive black hole in its pension fund.

For many years Tesco was EDDC’s darling – especially when it bought the entire Seaton regeneration site, with its promise of affordable housing (none), leisure facilities (none) and a hotel (none). They did, however, ensure that, with its size, no other supermarket chain would bother to try to open in the town.

In Axminster the company applied for planning permission to extend its edge-of-town store. This did not happen but again effectively blocked other supermarkets (including Aldi and Lidl) as Tesco could say there was more than enough trading space for the town.

In Honiton, they bought the industrial estate and attempted to relocate to a proposed mega-store again on the edge of the town. EDDC fought this one (with its Honiton-centric Cabinet mindful of their electorate) but had that gone ahead then it is doubtful if Lidl AND Aldi would have thought it worth building their stores. It’s large edge-of-town store has since bedn enlarged.

Edge-of-town superstores drain the life out of high streets and our independent shops and have now been shown to be a defective model. Tesco has shown us that, indeed, the Emperor didn’t have any clothes – as many people suspected. And some towns, where Tesco is dominant and based on the edges of the towns, have a failing white elephant on their doorsteps and not much else – and no chance of much else.

Perhaps some of their under-used space could now be released to communities for much-needed facilities such as playgroups or youth clubs or senior citizens clubs … just a thought. We don’t all have a (capital subsidised) Beehive and (subsidised and loss-making) Thelma Hulbert Gallery!

Tesco losses – what implications for East Devon? | East Devon Watch
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