Shopkeeper speaks out against Big Four

A Stalham shopkeeper has been giving evidence to the Competition Commission in London in the hope it will lead to a clamp-down on the encroaching powers of the Big Four supermarkets. Nigel Dowdney, who runs the Stalham Shoppper in Stalham and the Earlham Shopper in west Earlham, travelled down to the head office near Holborn on Wednesday with members from anti-Tesco campaigners Tescopoly. Mr Dowdney was asked to give evidence in front of a panel of 12 people. “I spoke about the whole way Tesco and the larger supermarkets are treating farmers and their suppliers and how the supply chain is tipped towards the larger supermarkets,” he said. He added he told them the closure of small shops was leading to loss of choice for customers.“Local authorities are frightened of taking on the managers of supermarkets because they threaten to sue them. If the local authority says 'No' then that should be the end of the matter and we should not end up with situations like we have had on Unthank Road.”Tesco has had three planning applications for a Tesco Express in Unthank Road rejected by City Hall's planning committee, racking up thousands of pounds in costs to tax-payers.