Between 1997 and 2002 more than 13,000 specialist stores aroundthe UK – including newsagents, Post Offices, grocers, bakers, butchers – closed. The loss of local, independent shops can have serious impacts in terms of access to food, particularly for people on lower incomes or those who don’t have use of a car
Supermarket claims that new stores bring in jobs fail to consider the wider picture of independent retailer bankruptcies. A 1998 study by the National Retailer Planning Forum (NRPF) examining the employment impacts of 93 superstore openings between 1991 and 1994 found that they resulted in a net loss of more than 25,000 jobs or 276 per store opened
A Friends of the Earth study of local food schemes found that on average just over half of business turnover was returned to the local economy – compared to as little as five per cent for supermarkets.
The distribution systems used by supermarkets and the location of out of town stores generate large amounts of traffic. Recent work for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) suggests that car use for shopping results in costs to society of more than £3.5 billion per year, fromtraffic emissions, noise, accidents, congestion and accident
The survey will take no more than 3 minutes to complete, and the results will help Friends of the Earth to formulate a strategy for a new campaign being launched in September. It will also be really useful for us as a group to know what local people would like to see us doing.
If members are able to help out anytime during the day, say between 10.30 and 4, even if just
for a short time please let Kay know by email / phone (details found in email circulated last week).
Members of the public including potential and past FoE members are invited to join us at any time during the day – come down and say hello!
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