| Dundee-based MSP Shiona Baird has claimed the dangers of the growth of supermarkets are shown in the figures, which in turn are causing many independent grocery retailers to shut down.
The figures show that between 2001 and 2003, 30 enterprises in Tayside and 40 in Fife have been forced to close, and a total of 620 in Scotland have had to cease trade.
Seventy closures over 36 months equates to two a month — or one each in Tayside and Fife.
Ms Baird said, “We wanted to see what the figures for grocery closures in Scotland would be. It is obvious that there will have been more closures as these are just the figures up until 2003, so today’s figures will actually be higher.
“They reinforce our concerns for what is actually happening in this sector.”
Ms Baird believes that planners are to blame for this loss of business, and therefore jobs.
“The problem all comes down to the planners who need to question whether they are really serving the needs of the local community by introducing all these new supermarkets.
“Planners need to have the well-being of the community as their key issue, and not allow the new developments to dominate.
“What they are losing is our choice of where to shop. It saddens me that there is going to be such a loss for the individual.”
The Scottish Green Party has launched a Food Revolution Campaign, which wants to impose much tougher restrictions on how supermarkets operate and where they build.
A recent conference in Dundee heard the party call for more community shops, where the produce sold is grown or reared nearby, and for more planning controls for supermarkets.
Ms Baird continued, “A lot of local businesses are subsidised by other trades and what the planners do not seem to realise is that this has a knock-on effect for the other businesses involved. The planners need to allow fair trade between the suppliers and independent traders.”
Ms Baird has recently given her backing to a group of small businesses who have teamed up to oppose the proposed plans of building two rival supermarkets within yards of each other on Dundee’s South Road.
She believes that not only do the new supermarkets damage local businesses, they could have a long-term detrimental effect on communities.
“It is the sheer scale, size and dominance of the developments which I believe causes real concern and distress to the small business.
“The population is declining, so I don’t see how the planners can really justify putting in all of the new developments. They need to question whether or not introducing more supermarkets will really be of benefit to the local community.” |
