3rd September 2007

Dear Sir

In response to Kenneth Macdonald (letters 31 August), rejecting Tesco is protectionism - protecting local communities, protecting farming, protecting the environment and protecting fair competition.

Studies show that the big supermarkets create less jobs than local retailers and tend not to employ local firms for maintenance and signage. They sell high volume popular items very cheaply so other shops lose out on their most profitable lines. While Tesco can afford to run new stores at a loss for years, local traders do not have that luxury. Tesco gets it's food cheaper from the farmers and wholesalers, pushing them into deals that no other shop can compete with. Is that fair competition?

Furthermore, Tesco fails on providing ethically produced food according to Action Aid and Oxfam. It has pushed British farmers to the point of elimination according to the NFU, The UK Competition Commission and Farmers for Action. It has consistently refused to implement food standards guidelines recommended by the Government. Finally, studies show that Tesco uses far more energy, and so produces far more carbon dioxide, than local shops, to sell the same goods.

Local shopkeepers and concerned residents in Walkley are taking on the might of the Tesco legal and PR machine who will be pushing the council to grant this application. It's David and Goliath and, if local people don't want Tesco Express, they need to make their voices heard in numbers now.

Yours Sincerely

Jason Leman