Not good news for Michael Kissman and his friends at Tesco's head office down the road in Cheshunt it appears. The thisismoney website reports that Tesco may cut 1 in 10 jobs there, 300 in total, with a focus on middle managers.
The article also repeats Tesco's claim that they 'create' jobs. People are becoming increasingly aware that a new supermarket merely transfers a proportion of existing retail jobs to shelf-stacking roles - there are far fewer people working in the grocery retail sector than there were before the rise of supermarkets!
Thanks to the volunteers of Stop Tesco for all your work over the last few days, especially...
1. Those who braved the wind to inform shoppers of Tesco's latest actions in the market yesterday
2. Our web designers who have updated www.stoptesco.com to make it very easy for people to object to Tesco's application, and added a countdown clock...
3. The designers who came up with our new posters (lovely colours...) and leaflets.
4. Our communications people who are arranging a public meeting for Tuesday week (29th April) - more details to come.
5. The planning team who are putting the final touches to our objections document.
6. All those who have made donations or volunteered to help over the next two weeks.
If you'd like to help us, please email us and let us know what you can do!
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Thursday, 17 April 2008
What You Can Do To Stop Tesco
Tesco's plan is finally in, and we need everyone to help us ensure that the council rejects it. Here are the key things you can do to help....
VIEW plans, Ref Nos 5/2008/0369 and 5/2008/0370 . (Click on the link to find them - or you can go to the Civic Centre Council Offices in person if you're in the area)
OBJECT, in writing, to The Head of Planning and Building Control, Civic Centre, St Peter’s Street AL13JE or email planning@stalbans.gov.uk giving your full name and address. Make use of the planning points below, and quote the reference numbers. The date by which objections must be received is 7th May 2008. Remember, if you don’t write, you waste all your previous campaigning efforts!
DISPLAY our campaign posters, which you can download here.
WRITE to the local papers, the St Albans Review and the Herts Advertiser, setting out your objections
VOLUNTEER to help the campaign by delivering leaflets or manning a city centre stall by clicking here
KEEP IN TOUCH. Keep visiting the website or sign up on the right of the blog for email updates.
WATCH OUT for the date of the crucial Plans Referral Committee meeting – and be there!
PLANNING POINTS - these are our key objections to the Tesco plan. You might want to use some of this information in your letter, but please don't just copy and paste it.
- Traffic in the London Road area is already very bad. This proposal will make it much worse, with 70% more lorries and cars on London Road. Air quality would be adversely affected – nitrogen oxide levels already exceed EU limits.
- A supermarket would drain trade and vitality from our main St Peter’s Street shopping area, and be a real threat to the City Centre and our historic 1,000 year old markets. 83% of local businesses oppose Tesco.
- It would have a damaging and irreversible effect on the character and tranquillity of a unique group of Victorian residential streets in the Conservation Area. Some houses are to be demolished. Over 5,500 local people have signed a petition against the development.
- Once on site, Tesco may apply for extended opening hours – or, as in Hertford, to double the size of its building. It has to be stopped NOW!
- The Evershed’s site was once given planning permission for housing – there are much better uses for this site which can truly revitalise the area and add to St Albans’ economic and social development, including a much-needed primary school. The area is one of the last big development areas left; the opportunity could be lost forever. Over 80% of local people polled by the St Albans Review opposed Tesco’s plans.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
A Story in which Tesco Shows that it lacks a Sense of Humour...
We've covered before the opposition to Tesco's plans to knock down houses in Liverpool to create a new superstore with attached Everton Football ground. Of course, the people living in these houses are not happy with the idea.
Today, one of them, Dot Reid, has come up with the impressive idea of applying for planning consent to knock down Sir Terry Leahy's house in Cuffley and build a 'community area', reports the BBC. She, quite reasonably, told the Beeb,
"This is just a publicity stunt*. Unlike this application, for our application we spoke to hundreds, if not thousands, of residents in Kirkby, the vast majority of whom recognise this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which will create 2,000 jobs**."
This, of course, invites two interesting questions.
Firstly, even assuming that most local people are on Tesco's side (and we know what its surveys are like...), why should the opinion of a few local people outweigh the right of someone to stay in their home of 18 years?
Secondly, does this mean that Sir Terry would go along with the plans if local residents think that converting his home into a community area would be a good thing?
To try to answer the second question, we've put a poll up on the right of the blog. If you think that turning Sir Terry's house into a community area would be the right thing to do, please tick one box. If you think he should be allowed to keep his house, tick the other. We'll send the results of the survey to Mrs Reid to see if they can be used to support her campaign.
Some notes:
* - Tesco's spin doctors may see this as a 'publicity stunt'. I doubt they would be so flippant if they were told that a house that they (or perhaps their mother?) had lived in for 18 years was being knocked down for another supermarket!
** - of course supermarkets don't 'create' jobs. People have always shopped for groceries, so jobs are just moved around and taken from existing retailers. In fact, as supermarkets provide efficiencies of scale, they need fewer and less skilled workers - research shows a new supermarket will on average cost 276 jobs. That's where Tesco's impressive profits come from.
UPDATE: The poll we did on this subject is now closed, but we have sent the results up to the campaign group in Liverpool. Of the 75 people who voted 89% (67) thought that the best use for Sir Terry Leahy's house would be a community area, while only 10% (8) thought it was best used as his house. So, Sir Terry, the community wants you out - will you go along with this?
Today, one of them, Dot Reid, has come up with the impressive idea of applying for planning consent to knock down Sir Terry Leahy's house in Cuffley and build a 'community area', reports the BBC. She, quite reasonably, told the Beeb,
"These are more than just houses, they are homes. I have been living under the threat of losing my home for 18 months now and it is very stressful. I want Sir Terry to have a taste of what we have to put up with."
Rather than either acknowledging Mrs Reid's ingenuity or taking her situation seriously, a 'Tesco spokesperson' once again responded to individual concern by claiming the support of 'the majority'. He or she tells the BBC,"This is just a publicity stunt*. Unlike this application, for our application we spoke to hundreds, if not thousands, of residents in Kirkby, the vast majority of whom recognise this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which will create 2,000 jobs**."
This, of course, invites two interesting questions.
Firstly, even assuming that most local people are on Tesco's side (and we know what its surveys are like...), why should the opinion of a few local people outweigh the right of someone to stay in their home of 18 years?
Secondly, does this mean that Sir Terry would go along with the plans if local residents think that converting his home into a community area would be a good thing?
To try to answer the second question, we've put a poll up on the right of the blog. If you think that turning Sir Terry's house into a community area would be the right thing to do, please tick one box. If you think he should be allowed to keep his house, tick the other. We'll send the results of the survey to Mrs Reid to see if they can be used to support her campaign.
Some notes:
* - Tesco's spin doctors may see this as a 'publicity stunt'. I doubt they would be so flippant if they were told that a house that they (or perhaps their mother?) had lived in for 18 years was being knocked down for another supermarket!
** - of course supermarkets don't 'create' jobs. People have always shopped for groceries, so jobs are just moved around and taken from existing retailers. In fact, as supermarkets provide efficiencies of scale, they need fewer and less skilled workers - research shows a new supermarket will on average cost 276 jobs. That's where Tesco's impressive profits come from.
UPDATE: The poll we did on this subject is now closed, but we have sent the results up to the campaign group in Liverpool. Of the 75 people who voted 89% (67) thought that the best use for Sir Terry Leahy's house would be a community area, while only 10% (8) thought it was best used as his house. So, Sir Terry, the community wants you out - will you go along with this?
Thursday, 10 April 2008
TESCO PUTS IN APPLICATION (WE THINK THIS IS THE REAL ONE!!!)
We understand that Tesco has now submitted a complete planning application. We will post details here of what you can do to object as quickly as we get them! To be the first to know, please sign up on the right for email updates!
In the meantime, what can you do?
- Let us know if you would be able to help during the campaign (which will include petition signature gathering and leaflet distribution), even if it is just for 30 minutes. if you can, click here to register and we will contact you again.
- Consider drafting a letter of objection to the Council (maybe get it ready to send, but don't send it until you can refer to the specific application by number - we will send this as soon as we have it). Please mention in the letter that you believe that there are better uses for the site, there will be a significant traffic problem, pollution will increase, and the development will kill our City Centre market and businesses.
- Please contribute to our campaign - we need to book venues for public meetings and to pay for posters and campaigning material - you can send cheques to Stop Tesco St Albans Limited, 33 Alma Road, St Albans. AL1 3AT
Thanks for your continuing support. Our voices need to be heard loud and clear in the coming weeks.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
Tesco's Lawyers Sue Guardian
Following Tesco's recent lawsuit against people who oppose its stores in Thailand, the company's UK lawyers now have The Guardian in their sights. Apparently, Tesco objects to recent articles that alleged it was using offshore banking to avoid paying £1bn in corporation tax (it appears to admit to using it to avoid paying £50m+ of stamp duty though, which is a lot of tax to most people!). A Guardian spokesperson commented,
"Instead of frankly explaining their position and/or engaging in a public dialogue Tesco has taken the extraordinary step of suing for libel in a clear attempt to close down the debate and discourage others from looking too closely.
"Instead of frankly explaining their position and/or engaging in a public dialogue Tesco has taken the extraordinary step of suing for libel in a clear attempt to close down the debate and discourage others from looking too closely.
"It's hard to think of another large public company which would resort to such bullying tactics."
The full story is here. There's also an interesting commentary on the issue in Director of Finance magazine here, which points out that when large companies sue, they can often suffer badly!Friday, 4 April 2008
Pete Asks Why Tesco Houses Are Still Unoccupied
Local resident Pete Milne wrote to the St Albans Review earlier this week with a history of Tesco's houses in London Road. Here's the letter in full. Thanks Pete!
The Tesco-owned houses in London Road have been a disgrace to St Albans for years. Tesco have done a token tidying up but the houses are still boarded up and decaying. Three years ago the district Council started talkng about restoring the houses under new powers but have done nothing, as the following extracts from the Review illustrate:
Sept 16 2005 - The council says it is looking to use an amendment to the Housing Act which comes into force this autumn allowing it to manage [the London Road houses] with a view to providing accommodation for tenants on the housing register.
Mr Pollard said this week: "Last autumn Tesco assured me that they would press on as quickly as possible with their plans to develop London Road, promising not to leave empty and boarded up valuable properties which could be used to house local families desperately in need of accommodation.
Jan 5th 2006 - Mr Pollard said: "I have asked St Albans District Council to use its new powers in the recent Housing Act to take possession of these derelict homes, do them up and then offer them to homeless families. A council spokesman said: "There are two areas we are exploring. Under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act we can make efforts to tidy up the appearance of the area..... Councillor Robert Donald has also written to Verulam Properties a subsidiary of Tesco which owns the properties to request that action is taken to improve their appearance."
Jun 19 2006 - COUNCIL leader Robert Donald has pledged to take action over the empty homes and shops in London Road if the stymied supermarket scheme does not progress this year.
Dec 1 2006 - Council leader Robert Donald said the firm had improved the appearance of the area since the beginning of the year.
Oct 15th 2007 - With the company rethinking its plans for a store, district council planning chief Chris Brazier .... is asking council officers to use the 2004 Housing Act to take over the properties temporarily.
Feb 19th 2008 - [Tesco] says it will renovate six of the homes it owns in May or June, and all should be occupied by tenants by the end of this year.
Why have the council let Tesco drag their feet for so long over the derelict shops when they have the power to do something about it? Who believes that Tesco will actually do something in May/June? Their houses in Alma Road remain badly neglected, even though Tesco claim they no longer want to demolish them.
How many times have Tesco promised - and failed - to submit their planning application for the store?
When will the council stop listening to Tesco's empty promises about the houses and get on with what they talked about in 2005 - take over the houses and make them habitable!
PS - The new application still isn't in...
The Tesco-owned houses in London Road have been a disgrace to St Albans for years. Tesco have done a token tidying up but the houses are still boarded up and decaying. Three years ago the district Council started talkng about restoring the houses under new powers but have done nothing, as the following extracts from the Review illustrate:
Sept 16 2005 - The council says it is looking to use an amendment to the Housing Act which comes into force this autumn allowing it to manage [the London Road houses] with a view to providing accommodation for tenants on the housing register.
Mr Pollard said this week: "Last autumn Tesco assured me that they would press on as quickly as possible with their plans to develop London Road, promising not to leave empty and boarded up valuable properties which could be used to house local families desperately in need of accommodation.
Jan 5th 2006 - Mr Pollard said: "I have asked St Albans District Council to use its new powers in the recent Housing Act to take possession of these derelict homes, do them up and then offer them to homeless families. A council spokesman said: "There are two areas we are exploring. Under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act we can make efforts to tidy up the appearance of the area..... Councillor Robert Donald has also written to Verulam Properties a subsidiary of Tesco which owns the properties to request that action is taken to improve their appearance."
Jun 19 2006 - COUNCIL leader Robert Donald has pledged to take action over the empty homes and shops in London Road if the stymied supermarket scheme does not progress this year.
Dec 1 2006 - Council leader Robert Donald said the firm had improved the appearance of the area since the beginning of the year.
Oct 15th 2007 - With the company rethinking its plans for a store, district council planning chief Chris Brazier .... is asking council officers to use the 2004 Housing Act to take over the properties temporarily.
Feb 19th 2008 - [Tesco] says it will renovate six of the homes it owns in May or June, and all should be occupied by tenants by the end of this year.
Why have the council let Tesco drag their feet for so long over the derelict shops when they have the power to do something about it? Who believes that Tesco will actually do something in May/June? Their houses in Alma Road remain badly neglected, even though Tesco claim they no longer want to demolish them.
How many times have Tesco promised - and failed - to submit their planning application for the store?
When will the council stop listening to Tesco's empty promises about the houses and get on with what they talked about in 2005 - take over the houses and make them habitable!
PS - The new application still isn't in...
Monday, 31 March 2008
Every Little Spin Doctor Helps, Tesco...
Tesco needs to hire more 'corporate affairs managers' (spin doctors), or else it runs the risk of them spinning themselves to death - if the busy schedule of Michael Kissman is true of all of them. Over the past few weeks he has been trying to spin around the country and support six different Tesco developments*, all of which seem to have massive local opposition. Just look at the last 2 weeks...
19th March - In St Albans, Michael comments on the St Albans Review poll that found 83% of people against Tesco's plans for the city.
20th March - Up North, Michael is commenting in Liverpool on Tesco's plans to redevelop Everton FC's stadium in the Liverpool Echo.
20th March - At the same time by miles away in Suffolk, Michael comments tackles concerns over gridlock in the historic market town of Hadleigh in the East Anglian Daily Times.
26th March - The Liverpool backlash arrives and Michael is trying to persuade locals via the Liverpool Echo that Tesco's plans will not lead to massive job losses and business failures.
(27th March - Michael is not available for comment to the Herts Advertiser, so non-Tesco consultant Eben Black is called in.)
31st March - Michael is speaking to the Suffolk Free Press, trying to answer the concerns of protestors in Hadleigh who are worried about the impact of traffic pollution on listed buildings and a nature reserve.
(*As well as those above, during March Michael has also been working on Tesco's unpopular developments in Mill Road, Cambridge, Halesworth, Norfolk and of course Gerrards Cross)
Perhaps this is why Tesco's St Albans application is STILL NOT IN?????
19th March - In St Albans, Michael comments on the St Albans Review poll that found 83% of people against Tesco's plans for the city.
20th March - Up North, Michael is commenting in Liverpool on Tesco's plans to redevelop Everton FC's stadium in the Liverpool Echo.
20th March - At the same time by miles away in Suffolk, Michael comments tackles concerns over gridlock in the historic market town of Hadleigh in the East Anglian Daily Times.
26th March - The Liverpool backlash arrives and Michael is trying to persuade locals via the Liverpool Echo that Tesco's plans will not lead to massive job losses and business failures.
(27th March - Michael is not available for comment to the Herts Advertiser, so non-Tesco consultant Eben Black is called in.)
31st March - Michael is speaking to the Suffolk Free Press, trying to answer the concerns of protestors in Hadleigh who are worried about the impact of traffic pollution on listed buildings and a nature reserve.
(*As well as those above, during March Michael has also been working on Tesco's unpopular developments in Mill Road, Cambridge, Halesworth, Norfolk and of course Gerrards Cross)
Perhaps this is why Tesco's St Albans application is STILL NOT IN?????
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Our MP Criticises Tesco Pollution
Big thanks to Anne Main MP, who has publicised in the St Albans Review the fact that even Tesco's own figures show that a supermarket in London Road will increase pollution. Levels of nitrogen dioxide in the area already exceed EU limits and a projected increase of 70% in local traffic will make things much worse.
Stop Tesco's own report on pollution will be out soon as part of our response to Tesco's application - but of course we need to have an application in first... watch this space for more details!
Thanks also to all the local politicians who are keeping people up to date with Tesco's plans in their election literature - be they Green, Liberal, Conservative or Labour!
Stop Tesco's own report on pollution will be out soon as part of our response to Tesco's application - but of course we need to have an application in first... watch this space for more details!
Thanks also to all the local politicians who are keeping people up to date with Tesco's plans in their election literature - be they Green, Liberal, Conservative or Labour!
Thursday, 27 March 2008
So, When Did You Say the Application Would Be In, Tesco?
The Herts Advertiser today follows up its story of two weeks ago, when Tesco's Michael Kissman told the paper that Tesco's revised application would be in by now. The council's planning portfolio holder Cllr Chris Brazier isn't happy with the delay, as he makes obvious in the article.
What does Tesco have to say about this? In the absence of usual spin doctor Mr Kissman, 'Tesco spokesperson Eben Black' says the missing details will 'be submitted very shortly, possibly in less than a week's time'.
We're not going to let up on this, and nor will the Herts Advertiser or Chris Brazier, although it is interesting that once again Tesco has not given an absolute date - we hope that Tesco's logistics people don't work with the same degree of uncertainty or we'd have lorry loads of food defrosting and going off all over the country...
PS: We assume this is Eben Black here - interesting that he doesn't actually work for Tesco! It seems that Michael Kissman has been occupied with another locally unpopular Tesco scheme in Liverpool - here's the view of the Liverpool Echo on the scheme.
What does Tesco have to say about this? In the absence of usual spin doctor Mr Kissman, 'Tesco spokesperson Eben Black' says the missing details will 'be submitted very shortly, possibly in less than a week's time'.
We're not going to let up on this, and nor will the Herts Advertiser or Chris Brazier, although it is interesting that once again Tesco has not given an absolute date - we hope that Tesco's logistics people don't work with the same degree of uncertainty or we'd have lorry loads of food defrosting and going off all over the country...
PS: We assume this is Eben Black here - interesting that he doesn't actually work for Tesco! It seems that Michael Kissman has been occupied with another locally unpopular Tesco scheme in Liverpool - here's the view of the Liverpool Echo on the scheme.
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Tesco Buys (and Closes) a Holiday Park!!
The Independent reports today that Tesco has bought the Lyme Bay Holiday Village in Seaton, Devon and immediately sent out redundancy notices to 152 staff.
So come on Terry Leahy, Michael Kissman and Tesco - how does this help people and communities????
PS - it is now nearly 2 weeks since Michael Kissman told the Herts Advertiser that ' he expected the planning application to be back on track by the end of the week'. We are watching... and of course waiting...
UPDATE: The Daily Telegraph carries the same story today with a few more comments from local businesspeople. One thing that must really concern the people of Seaton is that, despite what Tesco might say, a holiday village will attract people from miles away, and that they will then spend money in other local shops, boosting the local economy. A supermarket is only ever going to recycle the money that already exists in the local economy and in Tesco's case, only 7% of this money will remain local! So the future for the community is not good...
The paper reports Lizzie Bewsher, head of a community group opposed to the plans, Stand Up 4 Seaton, as saying:
"In one fell swoop, Tesco have bought up and shut down Seaton's single biggest source of employment and income. A lot of businesses in the town rely on the passing trade that the holiday village brings in. The people who live in the holiday village face being made homeless and working parents will have nowhere to leave their children. The nearest nursery will be 10 miles away. The village also has the only gym and swimming pool in a town with very few facilities.
"Tesco has done this without offering any assurances that these facilities will be replaced next January or indeed without putting forward any plans for what it wants to do after the closure. It is acting with breathtaking arrogance. We have absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that Tesco will not bulldoze the holiday village, put a big fence around it and leave it untouched for a decade. They are throwing around their financial weight but we are determined not to stand for it."
Local people believe the only reason why Tesco has bought the site is to stop Sainsburys opening a store there. If a Tesco is eventually built on the site it will apparently be the 10th Tesco within 22 miles, with no real local competion.So come on Terry Leahy, Michael Kissman and Tesco - how does this help people and communities????
PS - it is now nearly 2 weeks since Michael Kissman told the Herts Advertiser that ' he expected the planning application to be back on track by the end of the week'. We are watching... and of course waiting...
UPDATE: The Daily Telegraph carries the same story today with a few more comments from local businesspeople. One thing that must really concern the people of Seaton is that, despite what Tesco might say, a holiday village will attract people from miles away, and that they will then spend money in other local shops, boosting the local economy. A supermarket is only ever going to recycle the money that already exists in the local economy and in Tesco's case, only 7% of this money will remain local! So the future for the community is not good...
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Final Results from the Poll
Just heard from the St Albans Review direct - a total of 1607 votes were cast, of which 83% were against Tesco. Apparently the website only shows 472 web votes, of which 93% were 'no'.
Thanks to all who voted - an obvious message to Tesco that its store is not wanted!
Thanks to all who voted - an obvious message to Tesco that its store is not wanted!
Monday, 17 March 2008
St Albans Review Poll Update
As we enter into the last few hours of the St Albans Review poll (voting closes at 10am on Tuesday, if you still haven't voted!) it seems obvious that the people have spoken and firmly opposed Tesco. The facts (as of 5pm) are...
Online poll: Do you back the proposed Tesco store?
The results: Yes: 7.4% No: 92.6%
Number of votes: According to the paper, almost 1000!
Number of comments posted (in response to 2 articles): 81
Number in favour of Tesco: 3 (3.7%)
Number against Tesco: 67 (82.7%)
Number of repeat comments / for information: 11
Of course, Tesco's spin doctors will be revving up to oppose this - please let us have any suggestions as to what they will say...
Online poll: Do you back the proposed Tesco store?
The results: Yes: 7.4% No: 92.6%
Number of votes: According to the paper, almost 1000!
Number of comments posted (in response to 2 articles): 81
Number in favour of Tesco: 3 (3.7%)
Number against Tesco: 67 (82.7%)
Number of repeat comments / for information: 11
Of course, Tesco's spin doctors will be revving up to oppose this - please let us have any suggestions as to what they will say...
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Tesco and Free Speech in Thailand
Don't think of opposing us seems to be the message Tesco is sending in Thailand. The Observer reports that Tesco's subsidiary in the country is suing two anti-Tesco activists for £18 million for making an error in anti-Tesco speeches.
Hopefully, UK bosses will spot this and stop the lawsuits - free speech is a great British value and it is frankly stomach-turning to see this sort of process being used by Tesco.
Hopefully, UK bosses will spot this and stop the lawsuits - free speech is a great British value and it is frankly stomach-turning to see this sort of process being used by Tesco.
A Letter from Cambridge
We've received good news from the Cambridge Mill Road anti-Tesco campaign, who have also had the pleasure of dealing with Tesco's Michael Kissman over the past few months. They write,
"Just thought you'd like to know that last Thursday the council threw out Tesco's application to build an extension, which they needed in order to open an Express on Mill Road. Tesco, in the usual form of our friend Mr Kissman, are now trying to claim that it was a victory for them because they have been given permission to put up a sign and install a cash machine and that they could open the store without the extension. Unfortunately for them, we have a copy of the email that they sent to the planners a couple of months ago, spelling out in some detail why they couldn't open the store without the extension. Oops."
If you'd like to find out more about the campaign, click here.
"Just thought you'd like to know that last Thursday the council threw out Tesco's application to build an extension, which they needed in order to open an Express on Mill Road. Tesco, in the usual form of our friend Mr Kissman, are now trying to claim that it was a victory for them because they have been given permission to put up a sign and install a cash machine and that they could open the store without the extension. Unfortunately for them, we have a copy of the email that they sent to the planners a couple of months ago, spelling out in some detail why they couldn't open the store without the extension. Oops."
If you'd like to find out more about the campaign, click here.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Say No to Tesco in the St Albans Review
The St Albans Review is running a major poll on whether people want Tesco in St Albans. Please take part (and say 'NO' of course...) by either...
1. Visiting www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news and clicking 'NO' on the poll about half way down the right hand side of the page.
2. Sending a text to 80360 saying 'Tesco No' (texts cost 25p plus your normal charge)
3. Phoning 09012 210207 (calls cost 25p from BT landlines, and may cost more from mobiles and other networks)
4. Emailing 'No' to revieweditor@london.newsquest.co.uk
If you'd like to leave a comment for the Review, please do so by clicking here.
The other news story today is that the Herts Advertiser has followed up the Tesco application rejection story - and Tesco's Michael Kissman has said that a new application may be in at the end of the week. See the whole story here.
1. Visiting www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news and clicking 'NO' on the poll about half way down the right hand side of the page.
2. Sending a text to 80360 saying 'Tesco No' (texts cost 25p plus your normal charge)
3. Phoning 09012 210207 (calls cost 25p from BT landlines, and may cost more from mobiles and other networks)
4. Emailing 'No' to revieweditor@london.newsquest.co.uk
If you'd like to leave a comment for the Review, please do so by clicking here.
The other news story today is that the Herts Advertiser has followed up the Tesco application rejection story - and Tesco's Michael Kissman has said that a new application may be in at the end of the week. See the whole story here.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Tesco, Negative News and Negative Reputation
One of the interesting things about the Internet is the access to information you get from it. Just a few years ago, keeping people informed about Tesco's expansion plans around the country would have been almost impossible. Today, however, thanks to Google News feeds and the like (like the one that sits at the top of the blog) we can see and report Tesco's struggles around the country.
For example today, here are the top Google stories about Tesco....
As you can see, all is not good for the company - stories report opposition to stores in London, Ireland, Radford, Manchester, Hyndburn in Lancashire and Cambridge, as well as the tale of a former Tesco senior executive who left the company after (she claims) suffering intense pressure and abuse from senior managers. The final story covers the media backlash over the company's use of (legal) tax avoidance.
We'd like to link all this negative news to our ongoing survey (on the right of the blog) which shows that Tesco's reputation in St Albans is nose-diving. Tesco claims to want to work with local communities, but surely there comes a point where we have to say that the company is not listening to the people of Britain at all. And at that time, we probably have to look for alternative sources of food...
For example today, here are the top Google stories about Tesco....
As you can see, all is not good for the company - stories report opposition to stores in London, Ireland, Radford, Manchester, Hyndburn in Lancashire and Cambridge, as well as the tale of a former Tesco senior executive who left the company after (she claims) suffering intense pressure and abuse from senior managers. The final story covers the media backlash over the company's use of (legal) tax avoidance.
We'd like to link all this negative news to our ongoing survey (on the right of the blog) which shows that Tesco's reputation in St Albans is nose-diving. Tesco claims to want to work with local communities, but surely there comes a point where we have to say that the company is not listening to the people of Britain at all. And at that time, we probably have to look for alternative sources of food...
Friday, 7 March 2008
Friction TV takes up Sandy's Oppostion to Tesco
Here are the views of local Lib Dem MP candidate Sandy Walkington on Tesco, as seen on opinion website Friction TV.
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Wacky and Weird Surveys Get Weirder
The Adroit e-Research survey of 2 weeks ago, which Tesco used to try to spin the fact that two-thirds of people were against its planned store into a 'silent majority' in favour, has now been followed up by a further one from the bizarrely named research start-up.
The company now claims (via thisishertfordshire) that 'only 18 per cent of local people are opposed [to the Tesco store], and nearly half are positively in favour' (without specifying what 'nearly half' means, of course). Adroit Director Johnathon Brill tells the website 'The improvement is statistically significant, while admitting that 'responses such as "I don't care" or "They should just get on with it" were not included in the results, even as neutral responses'.
The fact is that this 'shift' reveals that the survey is in no way representative of public opinion. During the period between the two surveys, Tesco has taken no positive action to promote its store, and in fact is currently infuriating local people even more by wasting more time with its incomplete application. Yet we're expected to believe that a 'significant' number of people have changed their mind! Just to reiterate our other points from last time - we know that people want something to happen to the Eversheds site, and we know that shoppers might initially be in favour, because they like the Tesco brand, but once they look at the impact on local people and the community, and consider the alternatives, they rapidly become opposed. Our petition of almost 6,000 people is evidence of this.
We'd also like to suggest that Tesco's Michael Kissman stops wasting his time with these desperate surveys and spends some time getting the Tesco application in, so that it can be rejected and we can start doing something better with the land.
UPDATE: We've just heard on the grapevine that Tesco paid for the second survey, but not for the first one. Now you can all draw your conclusions about the results. Congrats of course to Mr Brill, who has snared perhaps his first blue-chip client.
The company now claims (via thisishertfordshire) that 'only 18 per cent of local people are opposed [to the Tesco store], and nearly half are positively in favour' (without specifying what 'nearly half' means, of course). Adroit Director Johnathon Brill tells the website 'The improvement is statistically significant, while admitting that 'responses such as "I don't care" or "They should just get on with it" were not included in the results, even as neutral responses'.
The fact is that this 'shift' reveals that the survey is in no way representative of public opinion. During the period between the two surveys, Tesco has taken no positive action to promote its store, and in fact is currently infuriating local people even more by wasting more time with its incomplete application. Yet we're expected to believe that a 'significant' number of people have changed their mind! Just to reiterate our other points from last time - we know that people want something to happen to the Eversheds site, and we know that shoppers might initially be in favour, because they like the Tesco brand, but once they look at the impact on local people and the community, and consider the alternatives, they rapidly become opposed. Our petition of almost 6,000 people is evidence of this.
We'd also like to suggest that Tesco's Michael Kissman stops wasting his time with these desperate surveys and spends some time getting the Tesco application in, so that it can be rejected and we can start doing something better with the land.
UPDATE: We've just heard on the grapevine that Tesco paid for the second survey, but not for the first one. Now you can all draw your conclusions about the results. Congrats of course to Mr Brill, who has snared perhaps his first blue-chip client.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Yet Another Tesco Plan Rejected
Not a happy time for Tesco's planning people at the moment, we fear. The Macclesfield Express reports that the company's plans for Poynton, Cheshire have been rejected. Interestingly, part of the reason given by the council for the rejection was that Tesco had refused to deliver a 'retail impact assessment', explaining the impact of the store on local traders.
Well done to the protestors of Poynton!
Well done to the protestors of Poynton!
Another Environmental Reason to Oppose Tesco
Supermarkets have come under fire recently for handing out billions of plastic bags, which then damage the environment for many years. Unlike its rivals, especially Marks & Spencer, Tesco is playing hardball and refusing to take significant steps to reduce its use of bags.
In response the website thisislondon (part of the Evening Standard) took a look around the country to see where some of the bags ended up, taking these pictures. Do people really want these scenes repeated in St Albans? Does anyone think that a school and housing would produce anything like as much rubbish?
On an unrelated topic, we've not heard anything new about Tesco's rejected application yet, although we have heard that there were quite a few mistakes in it... Hopefully the company will recycle the paper at least.
In response the website thisislondon (part of the Evening Standard) took a look around the country to see where some of the bags ended up, taking these pictures. Do people really want these scenes repeated in St Albans? Does anyone think that a school and housing would produce anything like as much rubbish?
On an unrelated topic, we've not heard anything new about Tesco's rejected application yet, although we have heard that there were quite a few mistakes in it... Hopefully the company will recycle the paper at least.
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