Welcome to Sheringham!
I received this letter from Mr Norman who has just moved to Sheringham, though from reading his letter I don't know why? Mr Norman seems to value having supermarkets on his doorstep above anything else, maybe he should have moved to Norwich!
" We have only recently moved to Sheringham following fifteen years in Fakenham, and are dismayed at the continuing struggle to prevent a Tesco supermarket being built in the town. You admit there is a need for a larger supermarket for Sheringham to meet the needs of the 7000 locals (how very parochial, self-centred and selfish you must be!), but you seem content with the pathetic and over-priced Budgens and the seedy, dismal Coop. Just one example of Budgens' terribly anti-social pricing policies: Pedigree Puppy Food in Budgens £3.80, Tesco £2.98. Everything in Budgens is hiked up to an astonishingly high price because it's a picturesque seaside town.
Another example of Sheringham's shopkeepers' attitude towards the people of Sheringham - Wednesday December 27th, Bertram A Watts - closed. Blyth and Wright - closed. They want our money but they want it on their terms. A bag of building sand in Blyth and Wrights costs £4.30. In Focus it's £1.35. They want our money but at their prices. The arrogance of the Sheringham shopkeepers is overwhelming - they simply don't deserve our custom.
Seen in Cromer Morrisons car park over the Christmas period - several cars saying "Save our Sheringham - say no to Tesco" - such hypocrisy! You deserve what you get, and hopefully that will be a Tesco, and very soon.
Coming from Fakenham, I refer you to the fact that since the opening of the Fakenham Tesco, no town centre stores have closed, and the Carphone Warehouse has moved in. From being a dead town on a Saturday, Fakenham is now alive as people enjoy the benefits of the new store. The same can be said of Hunstanton.
I know that Sheringham is different to Fakenham and is never ever "dead". But the existing supermarkets are bad for the town and give it a reputation it does not deserve. Budgens' prices rankle with seasonal visitors, and they are simply profiteering on a scale which is alien to Tesco. I'm not a particular advocate of Tesco, but we all now know that no other supermarket can apply for planning permission in the town, and Tesco will make a good job of their site when they come.
If you really believe that your precious town centre shops will be forced out of business, then there is only one reason for that, and that will be that they charge far too high prices for commodities that are far cheaper elsewhere, and they will therefore deserve to close. Sheringham runs the risk of being labelled a small representative of rip-off Britain.
Yes, Tesco is too big, and the risk of increasing its monopoly will increase. But they are cheap, they will bring even more people to the town - don't forget the outlying villages, and don't forget the people who need cheaper supermarket prices, those who can't afford or are unable to make the short run to the appalling, dirty-looking Cromer Morrisons.
It seems to us that the vast majority of people opposed to Tesco in Sheringham are octo- and nono-genarians who will not be affected by Tesco, and who presumably have more money than sense if they are prepared to pay Budgens' prices for their food. Sheringham does have a unique appeal, and this will not be affected by a new Tesco store. Bring it on! I hope your opposition crumbles to nothing in this very new year."
I hope to add some responses to mr Normans' shortly, but feel free to comment yourself.
" We have only recently moved to Sheringham following fifteen years in Fakenham, and are dismayed at the continuing struggle to prevent a Tesco supermarket being built in the town. You admit there is a need for a larger supermarket for Sheringham to meet the needs of the 7000 locals (how very parochial, self-centred and selfish you must be!), but you seem content with the pathetic and over-priced Budgens and the seedy, dismal Coop. Just one example of Budgens' terribly anti-social pricing policies: Pedigree Puppy Food in Budgens £3.80, Tesco £2.98. Everything in Budgens is hiked up to an astonishingly high price because it's a picturesque seaside town.
Another example of Sheringham's shopkeepers' attitude towards the people of Sheringham - Wednesday December 27th, Bertram A Watts - closed. Blyth and Wright - closed. They want our money but they want it on their terms. A bag of building sand in Blyth and Wrights costs £4.30. In Focus it's £1.35. They want our money but at their prices. The arrogance of the Sheringham shopkeepers is overwhelming - they simply don't deserve our custom.
Seen in Cromer Morrisons car park over the Christmas period - several cars saying "Save our Sheringham - say no to Tesco" - such hypocrisy! You deserve what you get, and hopefully that will be a Tesco, and very soon.
Coming from Fakenham, I refer you to the fact that since the opening of the Fakenham Tesco, no town centre stores have closed, and the Carphone Warehouse has moved in. From being a dead town on a Saturday, Fakenham is now alive as people enjoy the benefits of the new store. The same can be said of Hunstanton.
I know that Sheringham is different to Fakenham and is never ever "dead". But the existing supermarkets are bad for the town and give it a reputation it does not deserve. Budgens' prices rankle with seasonal visitors, and they are simply profiteering on a scale which is alien to Tesco. I'm not a particular advocate of Tesco, but we all now know that no other supermarket can apply for planning permission in the town, and Tesco will make a good job of their site when they come.
If you really believe that your precious town centre shops will be forced out of business, then there is only one reason for that, and that will be that they charge far too high prices for commodities that are far cheaper elsewhere, and they will therefore deserve to close. Sheringham runs the risk of being labelled a small representative of rip-off Britain.
Yes, Tesco is too big, and the risk of increasing its monopoly will increase. But they are cheap, they will bring even more people to the town - don't forget the outlying villages, and don't forget the people who need cheaper supermarket prices, those who can't afford or are unable to make the short run to the appalling, dirty-looking Cromer Morrisons.
It seems to us that the vast majority of people opposed to Tesco in Sheringham are octo- and nono-genarians who will not be affected by Tesco, and who presumably have more money than sense if they are prepared to pay Budgens' prices for their food. Sheringham does have a unique appeal, and this will not be affected by a new Tesco store. Bring it on! I hope your opposition crumbles to nothing in this very new year."
I hope to add some responses to mr Normans' shortly, but feel free to comment yourself.
posted by tescno at
3:27 pm
