Post by Patrick on Apr 14, 2009 23:11:33 GMT
Politicians and the hostelry industry believe the demise of pubs is another sad example of Britain losing its traditional neighbourhood services, echoing the struggle facing post offices and independent shops.
The latest figures from IGD, the leading research body which monitors the grocery market, indicate there are 55,854 supermarkets and convenience stores.
For the first time ever this is a greater number than the amount of pubs, which had fallen from 61,000 a decade ago to 54,818 by the end of last year, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
Mind you - the demise of the pub is right up one supermarket's street! Guess who!
Tesco has lodged hundreds of planning applications to cash in on the failure of pubs and rival retailers.
Financial Mail has identified ten pubs that the group plans to convert into stores. Tesco submitted all ten applications in the past three months alone, but the total figure is believed to be several times that number.
About 2,000 pubs closed their doors for the last time in 2008, but supermarkets such as Tesco are stepping up plans to create more small town centre stores.
Pubs are particularly attractive to Tesco because they are already licensed to sell food and alcohol so do not require an application to councils for a change of use.
Tesco has also secured, or is in the process of securing, sites formerly owned by other failed businesses, such as Woolworths and MFI, as well as service stations and banks. The total number of planning applications that are active runs into the hundreds.
This buying frenzy - of all the supermarkets - welcomed by the Government of course because of the potential Job Creaton headlines is happening because there are delays in the Competition Commission's report and final ruling on the number of supermarket's any one town can have. They were to rule that if any one company has more than 60% of the market in a town then they won't get any more. Tesco appealed against this (delaying the ruling further) and the whole thing looks like going on for another year. In the meantime of course all the companies are going hell for leather in opening new sites.
The latest figures from IGD, the leading research body which monitors the grocery market, indicate there are 55,854 supermarkets and convenience stores.
For the first time ever this is a greater number than the amount of pubs, which had fallen from 61,000 a decade ago to 54,818 by the end of last year, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
Mind you - the demise of the pub is right up one supermarket's street! Guess who!
Tesco has lodged hundreds of planning applications to cash in on the failure of pubs and rival retailers.
Financial Mail has identified ten pubs that the group plans to convert into stores. Tesco submitted all ten applications in the past three months alone, but the total figure is believed to be several times that number.
About 2,000 pubs closed their doors for the last time in 2008, but supermarkets such as Tesco are stepping up plans to create more small town centre stores.
Pubs are particularly attractive to Tesco because they are already licensed to sell food and alcohol so do not require an application to councils for a change of use.
Tesco has also secured, or is in the process of securing, sites formerly owned by other failed businesses, such as Woolworths and MFI, as well as service stations and banks. The total number of planning applications that are active runs into the hundreds.
This buying frenzy - of all the supermarkets - welcomed by the Government of course because of the potential Job Creaton headlines is happening because there are delays in the Competition Commission's report and final ruling on the number of supermarket's any one town can have. They were to rule that if any one company has more than 60% of the market in a town then they won't get any more. Tesco appealed against this (delaying the ruling further) and the whole thing looks like going on for another year. In the meantime of course all the companies are going hell for leather in opening new sites.
A.P.P.S
S C 
