Several years ago I decided to give up supermarkets for lent, then found it was so convenient I’ve stuck to it ever since. I have never regretted it, although I do allow myself some flexibility on special occasions if there’s something I simply cannot source anywhere else. This rarely happens.
The majority of our food is sourced from our village community shop and our weekly organic veggie box delivery. This also has the advantage that we have very little in terms of plastic packaging.
I have special treatment at our local stores; if I want something they don’t normally stock, they will go out of their way to source it. I value their service, and they value my custom. I save money and time on travel, which more than covers the small extra cost that buying local incurs. It’s also a social place to go; there’s always someone to chat to, and in this way I can keep up with the local gen, from where to find an electrician, to what’s going on locally over the weekend.
As a farmer’s daughter I am very much aware of what goes into the making of food. I am passionate that my supply chain supports small and local growers. Our village shop is able to source much of what they stock locally and ethically, thus keeping other small businesses buoyant.
Traditionally small-scale businesses simply need to earn enough to support their families. Supermarkets and corporations are beholden to shareholders, so of course they need to be profit driven. Our local shop can order just what it needs from their suppliers, so little goes to waste. Unfortunately, in a takeover that should never have been allowed by the Competition and Markets Authority, Tesco now own Bookers, so do have something of a stranglehold on small shops, as Bookers are traditionally the go-to warehouse for grocery staples.
Just as supermarkets have changed the landscape for local groceries, so have online retailers for town-centre shops. The biggest and most popular seem to be going for complete market domination, from retail to streaming services. They may be convenient, and cheap, but what is their legacy?
Recently I was saddened to hear that our local bookshop in Liskeard was having to shut down, due to lack of custom. This loss of local businesses is being played out throughout the UK. Instead of our money going back into the community, it is lining the coffers of big corporations who have clever ways of tax avoidance. As local councils lose their revenue from business rates, then remaining local businesses will inevitably have higher charges to make up the shortfall, and services traditionally supplemented by local councils suffer.
A lack of tax income entering the economy also has a massive knock-on effect on our hospitals, schools, services and more. We earn money, but the money we spend is not creating a circular economy, and we are suffering as a result.
I do feel councils could support local businesses more. Cutting in-town car-parking charges would help, as not everyone can walk or cycle to the shops. They could then slap a mandatory charge for supermarket parking to be paid into the council coffers, to balance out their loss of income. I appreciate this probably wouldn’t be popular, but it would be ethical…
So in a nutshell our retail landscape has changed.The adage use it or lose it is still very much true. If your town centre is failing, ask yourself “Am I doing all I can to help it survive?” Community is the key to resilience, and local retail is very much part of the bigger picture.
