The PR battle between two supermarket giants continues. Asda and Tesco are going head to head in a bid for planning permission in Beeston as Asda looks to build a new bigger store on its current Old Lane site and Tesco bids to build a new supermarket on a neighbouring site.
The proposals for both applications are due before council planners in the next few months, but today Asda has said that 838 people have signed a petition in support of a brand new Asda store for the area – as compared to 61 for Tesco.
The petition was placed in the current Asda on Old Lane and around the community three weeks ago. Local people had the chance to sign in favour of either Asda or Tesco’s plans, or vote for neither. The research was apparently carried out by a marketing team employed by Asda.
In a press release, Carl Nelson, Asda Beeston store manager, said:
“The planning application seems to be a hot topic at our check outs and in the area surrounding the store and we’re thrilled that the vast majority of residents seem to be in favour of our plans.
“The new store would allow us to provide an even bigger and better service, with more choice for customers, as well as a George clothing range. It would also encourage shoppers to stay local, retaining trade within Beeston and the immediate area – resulting in a significant long-term boost to the local economy.”
Last month South Leeds Life reported how a group of local residents have shown their support for Tesco’s proposals for Beeston in a Tesco newsletter sent to 5,000 local homes. Some of the people pictured left may be in favour of both applications. *
Local group Beeston Community Forum will be holding a special meeting on Thursday, 28 June to allow representatives of Asda Stores Limited and Tesco Stores Limited to update local residents about the current situation in relation to their planning applications for new stores on Old Lane, Beeston.
The meeting will allow local residents to state their views about the planning applications, whether for or against.
As with all forum meetings, the meeting will start at 7.30pm and take place at Beeston Village Community Centre, St Anthony’s Drive, Beeston.
Both new stores would create around 140 new jobs for the area.
* UPDATED 8.12pm: We’ve added an extra line about the Tesco newsletter to say some of the people pictured are actually suppoorting both applications. This follows a telephone call from one woman in the photo who was concerned her position was being misrepresented as an opponent of Asda.
I don’t understand. Tescos application uses currently derelict land to create a far more appealing store, more jobs, and have promised to work with the community. Asda on the other hand, provide less jobs, a less appealing store and uses up land that is currently used for employment (of which they’ll have to buy out and put workers out of business).
Surely its a no brainer as to which application has far more merits…
The only new jobs for South Leeds will be any associated renovation. The supermarket will not create any “new” jobs as it will only steal trade from other local supermarkets or local shops. How can a supermarket possibly argue they are creating several hundred ‘new’ jobs? Unless they plan to bring something not already sold in south Leeds? And many of us are close to the city centre.
In Beeston & Holbeck we have:
1)Co-op (members can dictate direction)
2)Asda
3)Sainsbury’s in the White Rose
4)New turkish/middle eastern Supermarket in Holbeck. Possibly like the one that used to be on Dewsbury road before Tesco squashed it out.
5)Dewsbury Road
6)Holbeck corner shops
7)Hunslet corner shops
8)Beeston road
While I accept none of us like derelict land or buildings we also have to honestly admit that supermarkets cause the closure of local shops.
David Smith
Supermarkets offer lower prices and better shopping conditions – their success is due to people voting with their purses/wallets and taking their custom there.
A decent supermarket in Beeston will mean I won’t have to travel to Morley/Hunslet to do a supermarket shop, I don’t see how it would affect my patronage of any other local stores.
Reality is that many of the people who are forced to use expensive local shops are those who don’t have available transport to get to the larger supermarkets. Lower waged and the elderly come to mind.
Having a decent supermarket in Beeston will mean that many of these people will then be able to benefit from supermarket pricing and quality.
Markets offer the lowest prices as page two of this document illustrates: http://kirkgatemarket.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/gazette1.pdf
In addition to my above list of 8 nearby alternatives you have also added nearby Hunslet Morrison, Aldi and other shops. Surely we have enough? I accept mobility issues can be difficult but I believe most of the 9 alternatives are within 1.5 miles of the proposed sites.
I personally do not want Beeston to become like every other town with unremitting dull, bland supermarkets. The more supermarkets we have the more local shops will close. We have to decide whether we want a future high street. See http://www.tescopoly.org/ for examples.
I am on a low income but have still boycotted Tesco and Asda for over a year. I do buy from the discount aisle of another supermarket but I reason that I may be saving food from landfill (but show me a local shop who would landfill food). I appreciate the Cooperative is a supermarket but it is non-profit and they have ethical policy which members can decide. The ethical policy of supermarkets can be very mixed.
A recent blunder by both Asda and Tesco is their use of the government “workfare” program for the unemployed. People rightly protested against been forced to work for jobseekers and undermining the jobs of existing workers. But a proportion of ‘workfare’ workers as Asda and Tesco are still been forced to work below the minimum wage!