BOYCOTT YOUR LOCAL CO-OP: Co-Op to put single mums out of business

[MrsCuckoo]

I live in Cuckfield, a small Sussex village which is currently in turmoil.

The Co-Op, who already have a shop at one end of Cuckfield, intend to open a new, much bigger branch at the opposite end on a site which until this summer was a 200 year-old pub, The Ship.

What has really upset us locals is that the pub sits immediately next to a small village shop and sub post office, Wealdon Stores, which is run by a pair of hard-working single mums who live above the shop with their children. They make a modest living by working hard and supporting their families.

They sell all the usual, newspapers, basic groceries, a smattering of stationery and they do their best to stock local produce and their shop is always full of local chatter and gossip. Totally unlike the homogenised, sanitised CO-OP, which churns out nothing remotely locally produced or thoughtfully sourced.

The new shop being planned by the self-styled "ethical" CO-OP (as their new ad campaign goes to great lengths to emphasize), will put the shop and these ladies (Dawn and Janine), out of business within months, so that, along with their business, they also risk losing their home.

We have had no response from the CO-OP on the matter of what would happen to them, presumably because they couldn't give a damn about destroying their little shop and pulling the plug on their livelihood.
CO-OP representatives even had the gall to describe Wealden Stores as a health store in their application meeting with the parish council, thereby suggesting that there would be no conflict in business.
It would appear that there are no depths which CO-OP representatives will not plunder in order to get their new shop opened.
What complete nonsense and sheer hypocrisy.

The time has come for DIRECT ACTION.

    <strong>*</strong><strong>*</strong><strong>*BOYCOTT YOUR LOCAL CO-OP</strong><strong>*</strong><strong>*</strong>

Here's a video made by local celeb Christian Stephenson, aka DJ-BBQ, (from Jamie Oliver's programme), which explains the situation very succinctly:

If you have the time, please sign our petition:

www.change.org/p/mid-sussex-district-council-issue-an-immediate-article-4-direction-on-the-ship-inn-cuckfield

Please support us, sign and BOYCOTT YOUR LOCAL CO-OP in protest.

If you have the time, contact Steve Murrells of the Co-Op and register your feelings:

[email protected]

I'm sure he'd love to hear from you. He hasn't had the manners to reply to me, perhaps a slew of e-mails from other Mumsnetters will inspire him to be more courteous.

Could you just clarify if the existing Co-op is closing?

Like I said in the beginning, we have both.
Local and big business. They all serve a purpose. They all serve the local community including a coop. Within a 15 minute walk I have a coop, sainsburys local, 4 tesco metro, waitrose, cost cutter, budgen's, several independent mini markets, couple off papershops and off licences.

They all thrive. They all serve a purpose because they sell what local people want.

In 10 years 2 have closed. Not because of the big bad coop, but because they where repeatedly caught selling to underage people.

If the friendly gossipy shop stocks what local people want at a competitive price, locals will continue to support them. But of a supermarket is investing a lot of money, changing the purpose of the building, kitting out the inside then people have mentioned their dissatisfaction.

Damn autocorrect and not checking.. The couple off's clearly should be couple of

Surely the answer would me for the 2 women to move their business to the other end of town which you now day will be in desperate need of their services?

Dear DustWitch: I agree this particular campaign is one for local people. What we wanted to find out - and still do, because we know of other places in Sussex where similar thins are happening - is where else in the country the Co-op is needlessly causing similar problems to useful & well-run community businesses. I'm the first to agree that in large urban areas where employment is a problem a Co-op can be good news.

I can only repeat what I said earlier - there is already a popular Co-op in the centre of the village, with space to expand, if it chose to take it, and everyone would like it to stay there. As it is, its staff are under notice to go (and I agree that seems odd - if you must move away from the centre why not transfer them?) so it's not just the community shop's staff that face joblessness.

And there's the question of the pub itself, which was sold in good faith to a fellow publican who assured us the plan was to continue it as a community pub, the only one within walking distance for most of its many users, but who then passed or sold (we don't know which) to a developer who is leasing it to the Co-op. More job losses, though potential ones in the case of the pub.

Even in big urban areas, there are still sommunities hoping to retain a sense of community and identity, so shouldn't we be fighting to preserve that sense as onlg as there's some hope? Judging from the viciousness of some of the blogs in this exchange it would seem not, but I hope reasonable people like you, Dear DustWitch, are actually in the clear majority.

Meantime it's worth reminding ourselves that the beloved Co-op actually went bust a year or two back having squandered about 38million, and was only rescued by financiers whose outlook on what constitutes 'ethical' seems to be a long way from what the old Co-op believed in.

Surely the only thing that will put dawn and janine out of business is customers choosing to go to the coop not the village shop? Not much you can do about that - oh except making sure people don't get the choice which seems to be the focus of this campaign. Not exactly ideal is it?

If people don't want the shop to close they will continue to use it. If not then that's life sadly.

I am genuinely sorry to hear that the women might lose their livelihood. However, opening a larger store will presumably create far more jobs in your local area? So it might be a case of "the greater good". Of course the two women don't have to be martyrs, and have every right to appeal and protest publicly, as you are doing. I just don't think you're going to get much widespread support, looking at the whole picture.

Having said that, you might get enough local support- if people really like the shop presumably they'll still shop there.

I am not sure that this is a national campaign, more a local one. Why don't the existing shop owners diversify? Offer teas and coffees? Become a place where you can collect / drop off parcels? Dry-cleaning agents? There are many, many ways to help their business. Me driving 45 miles for my shopping is not one of them.

Our coop is crap

Expensive and never has what I want

I am doing my best to boycott it already

This can only be a local campaign. If locals would rather use the independent shop, then that's what they should do.

I'm certainly not going to stop using my lovely local Coop though just because they dare to go into competition with another shop. That's business.

I think its a bit unfair to make this about "single mums"

It's actually about local businesses, I'm pretty sure coop didn't go round looking for single parents to victimise.

I'm disappointed to hear this though, it's business tactics I would expect from say tesco but I still persist in expecting coop to be more ethical.

Really if the co-op did anything differently from Tesco, Asda or Waitrose they'd just go broke. It's like expecting people in a race to stop and say politely "after you!"

If the coop in the village is closing does this not leave the potential for a village shop then? Could Dawn and Janine not consider filling that gap?

When you run a business you always have to change and adapt. These women will have to do that I'm afraid. It's hard when it's your own business but that's the way of the world I'm afraid!

We have a similar dispute on our local high street. I've only lived here a few years and the shops opposing the new supermarket (we don't know which one it is yet) are the scruffiest, unfriendliness and most extortionate shops I've ever shopped in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the planning appeal succeeds as I think it will revitalise the street.
Having said that, iif the ladies in question here are running a viable business which serves the community well I feel very sorry for them and wish them luck in the future.

If the shop is so much part of the community then they should all boycott the co op. I suspect they will opt for greater variety, cheaper prices and speedier service.

It's awful to see old shops and communities go but this has happened through history and will continue to do so. Our local shops went long ago and now the co op is losing trade to a larger tesco.

I've just bought broccoli & a Savoy cabbage for 24p each from our new Co-op.. I love the place.

I wonder how many single mothers (or fathers for that matter) the Co Op employ? One near me has at least 2 and a disabled person that would probably find it harder to get a job not in his local community.

Thanks for your reply dmort.

I didn't realise that the staff at the existing co op had been give notice to leave, this as you say seems to make little sense and I can understand how devastating those job losses could be to a small community.

I felt that my reply yesterday was a little cold and I did come back and sign the petition. I don't feel that I can boycott the co op for the reasons I stated previously (although you make a very good point about their chequered past!) but I do have all respect to anyone who stands up and fights for what they believe in and wish those concerned the best of luck with this campaign.

Our local Co-Op is anything but sanitized. It's a filthy place. And it smells.

I love our local Co Op.

No one does reductions like the Co Op.

Whats being single mums got to do with anything? Nope I won't be boycotting from what you've said. Yes vilage stores can be nice but bet co-op will be used, will stick more of what people want.

Your argument is non-sensical. If they are selling ranges that are different to that of the Co-op, then their target market is different.

If they're selling the same as Co-op, then it's a price war.

Which is it?

The supermarket does have an advantage. With lots of room and a fast turnover they can have a much bigger range of items and still have them fresher than the local shop.

Also because they can buy in bulk they can be cheaper.

They can afford to have wide aisles and nice displays too which is handy if you have a buggy.

Local shops are better because... don't tell me, it will come to me...

Ah yes! You can have a nice chat to the lady behind the counter. In local shops the people behind you don't mind waiting until you are done.

I live in a small town which has a big Tesco, Sainsburys and Aldi. There is a small food store run by a couple which has a queue of people lining up to buy stuff all weekend.

Go figure.