Saturday 14 February 2015

Agglomeration.

From the BBC:

Tesco is capable of provoking strong emotions. There were riots when the chain opened an Express branch in the bohemian Stokes Croft district of Bristol. Although the store survives, a mural urging shoppers to "Think Local" and reject the chain is still proudly displayed in the area.

Conversely, when it was announced that the Tesco superstore in Kirkcaldy, Fife, would close, it was standing room only at a public meeting called to try and save it. The event was addressed by no less a figure than the local MP, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Kirkcaldy's Tesco, situated in the middle of the town, houses a post office and is the focal point for the main taxi rank. It's on a bus route, which makes it the easiest store to access for many pensioners. Local traders told the meeting they feared a decline in town centre footfall if it shut.

8 comments:

benj said...

Maybe this is the beginning of a new marketing strategy by Tescos to get a little love back for their brand?

Great headlines.

Along with Sellafield, Corus etc, would Tesco be net winners from a change from UBR to a proper LVT?

Would LVT have kept their Kirkcaldy branch open?

Tim Almond said...

"bohemian Stokes Croft"

Stokes Croft is not bohemian. It's a dump with a few vintage clothes shops and independent cafes. And there's more massage parlours than independent clothes shops (I only know this because I worked there).

Mark Wadsworth said...

BJ, all businesses would be winners from a shift to LVT, including Tesco. Whether it would have kept this or that branch open I do not know.

TS, I suspected as much.

Lola said...

MW. What? You suspected that TS worked in Stokes Croft, and / or at a massage parlour. We should be told.

Tim Almond said...

Lola,

I wasn't actually a piano player in a brothel. I just thought it looked better on my CV than working for Accenture.

Lola said...

TS. On that basis, I'd employ you!

Mark Wadsworth said...

L, I suspected that if some people describe an area as 'bohemian', it just means it has a couple of second hand clothes shops and expensive cafes.

Tim Almond said...

Mark,

It used to mean artistic, but I doubt there's many artists living in cities now. If you're a struggling artist, you might as well live in Portishead or Weston. The galleries depend on location (there's some serious ones in Clifton) but the artist can live almost anywhere.