The post you are reporting:
Bern there is no sign of the supermarkets withering. They are on the up bigtime, and with each passing year they just increase turnover and of course profits. But most importantly turnover, with absolutely everyone going through their doors even though they might pretend otherwise.
There are, as we speak, a number of them jostling for position even in little ol Dover. As well as that, the rather humble Somerfield is morphing into the Co-Op...perhaps with the intention of expanding further into the section of the store once occupied by Peacocks. Was in there today and half the shelves are filled with Co-Op stuff which I was unaware of..although on reflection I think I remember something on the news some time back.
There appears to be no chance for the smaller shop, because everybody has deserted them in serious droves. People dont use them, so they lose them, as Roger would say....but here is the thing, they dont really care either. They actually prefer Tesco and Morrison despite one or two voices calling in the wilderness for the status quo.
The only smaller shop that can survive now is the shop that specialises in something. How even shops like smaller menswear outfitters in the town survive is beyond me..there is one for example opposite Wetherspoons and when their older clientele die off they will bite the dust along with the clientele. There is no hope for them.
The only hope, in my view anyway, for the centre of town was/is the ASDA DEVELOPMENT. This will bring a mass amount of people into town and should in theory bring prosperity. There will be casualties with local shops but there will also be opportunities for other businesses to take off as satellite stores around ASDA.
To show where the market is going. Which direction would you invest your family life savings in...future growth with ASDA or future growth with the small mens outfitters?
The people here in Dover at DDC who wanted to work WITH Asda had the right idea. No point in standing in the path of a galloping train..best to buy a ticket and climb onboard.
