IN the second of Thame.Net’s new ‘Take on Thame’ opinion features, Bob Austin, of the East Thame Residents Association, shares his ‘take’ on the recent Tesco proposal to build a supermarket on the Daf site, on the edge of town:
AS Thame residents may be aware, it is not the first time that an attempt has been made to build a Tesco superstore. As long as twenty years ago the Thame Chamber of Commerce commissioned a report which demonstrated the loss of business to the town centre that a Tesco edge of town store would cause. The loss was stated to be in the order of £10 million. You can obviously add inflation, at least, to that.
“Nowadays, the importance of a town centre has been further emphasised. Its viability and vitality must be at the core of any planning decision under the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) and weight is also given to an approved Neighbourhood Plan. The latter clearly opposes an edge of town superstore.
“Tesco in in its recent flyer stated that people will be encouraged to shop locally as a result of a new superstore. If an edge of town store counts as a local equivalent of a vibrant town centre then that statement would be accurate. However, the logic lies elsewhere.
“At the recent Tesco exhibition Tesco staff were asked if £35 million would be a good estimate of the superstore’s turnover (this being based on Tesco published standard turnovers per square foot). They did not disagree. Where would this turnover come from? Tesco accept that trade would come from the town centre but assert that much would come from shopping currently carried out, outside the town, by Thame residents.
“Given the fact that two of the closest food stores in Princes Risborough and Aylesbury are Tesco owned (ASDA Wheatley being cheaper), Tesco would inevitably cannibalise at least some its own turnover. Why would it do that? The only explanation can be that Tesco will take substantial incremental business from the town centre in order to achieve £35 million turnover- not just from Waitrose or chain stores but from independents as well- with obvious implications for closures. I am not demeaning the needs of Tesco shoppers when I state this- just outlining the implications for the town centre.
“At its exhibition Tesco stated that turnover would be 80% food, 20% non-food at the start. It will not just be just food shops that will be affected. If you want a town centre that continues to be vital, then defend a policy (Thame Neighbourhood Plan and SODC core strategy 2027) that keeps shoppers within the core of the town, When Tesco puts its application in, it will be time to say ‘No to Tesco’ again.”
Bob Austin
East Thame Residents Association
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