Sick of seeing yet another small business in your area close down? Time to take action and support your local businesses
You may have gathered that one of our main gripes is big pushy supermarkets and chain stores forcing small independent shops out of business. And it’s happening all over London. How many little bars, boutiques and restaurants have you seen one minute, only to find they’re gone the next?
So you ask, why does it matter? That’s the nature of capitalism for you, survival of the biggest and the bolshiest. But that doesn’t make it right. And that doesn’t mean the consumer should stand by passively and let it happen. At the end of the day, in the capitalist market place, the consumer dictates.
More than 7000 independent shops went out of business between 2001 and 2005. At this rate, all small shops could be gone by 2015. This is mainly due to the growing power of the supermarkets. The ‘big four’: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons control more than 75% of the grocery market with Tesco gobbling up more than 30%. As a consumer you have a choice. If you like the variety, the quirkiness and individuality offered by smaller independent businesses then have a think about what you can do to support them.
And on top of pushing local businesses out supermarkets are also bad for the environment. According to Friends of the Earth, government research shows the average supermarket produces as much carbon dioxide as 60 greengrocers – produced by people travelling to and from supermarkets by car, by supermarkets flying produce in from all over the world and ferrying it up and down the country by lorry.
But of course a weekly shop at the supermarket is by far the quickest and most convenient way to do it. However, like most things in life, the solution doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Instead of doing all your shopping at the supermarket, look around your local shops and see where you might be able to buy some of your groceries. Perhaps there’s a baker, butcher, fishmonger or deli you could schedule in a weekly trip to?
We’re in good company. The Evening Standard is running a ‘Save Our Small Shops’ campaign, detailing the plight of small shops on a weekly basis and encouraging people to sign their petition. Friends of the Earth launched their ‘Shop Local First’ campaign in August, calling for the Competition Commission to redress the balance between big supermarkets and local shops.
Benefits of shopping locally: * You’re more likely to find food from UK suppliers, rather than produce that’s been flown from overseas
You get to know the shop owners and other shoppers in your community
You contribute to keeping money circulating in the local area, thus supporting other local businesses
You often get better value at local shops and street markets on fresh fruit and vegetables
You’ll find local shops are more energy efficient than big supermarkets
You get more diversity and variety shopping locally. Although a single shop won’t have the selection a supermarket does the combination of many small shops will offer a lot more variety.
How to get started? Our directory is full of original independent businesses just waiting to hear from you – why not have a browse?
