Asda will continue to lobby the government and local authorities on planning law, despite a statement by the deputy prime minister that the current system is working.
The supermarket is struggling to increase its market share because planning law is stacked in favour of town centre developments and follows needs-tested guidelines.
Asda has been holding meetings with John Prescott and other government ministers in a bid to persuade them to amend the planning regulations.
“At the moment retailers can operate monopolies or duopolies for years without any incentive to improve standards or reinvest in their stores - this is not a good deal for customers,” said an Asda spokeswoman.
However, planning experts said the law is unlikely to change as it was updated in March and in a recent speech to the Town & Country Planning Association Conference, Prescott announced that the new policy would continue to check the growth of out-of-town developments.
Chris Hicks, director of planning consultant CgMs, said Asda remained in a difficult situation. “It’s hard for a new supermarket to gain representation in a town that already has a major supermarket and planners say there’s insufficient need for another.”
Asda is arguing that the ‘adequate provision’ ruling - if one supermarket is already in an area, there is no need for another - should be changed to ‘adequate competition’. That would allow Asda to build a store in an area where a Tesco already exists, which it claimed would favour the consumer by increasing competition.
The Co-operative movement has introduced degradable bags across its entire pre-packed produce range. Degradable pre-packed fruit, vegetable and salad bags follow the introduction of Co-op degradable carrier bags in 2002 and degradable bread bags a year ago.
Sainsbury plans to recruit 10,000 more workers over the age of 50 by the end of next year, according to its second annual corporate responsibility report. It also intends to ramp up British-sourced organic goods to account for 70% of its offer, up from the current 65%.
Campaigners in Epsom, Surrey, are continuing their protest against plans to build a 78,988 sq ft supermarket in the town centre. The protesters have now said that they will stand at the next Epsom and Ewell Borough Council election in two years’ time to fight the plans.
Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever has reported an 18% fall in second-quarter operating profits to E1.265bn. It also revealed a 1% rise in overall sales, although underlying sales in Europe fell by 0.6%.
Whitworths has bought dried fruit and nut company Sundora Foods for an undisclosed sum. It will transfer all production at Sundora’s Pocklington-based factory to its own factory in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire.
UK consumers are drinking more alcoholic drinks at home, a government report has shown. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ 2003-04 Expenditure and Food Survey found that the purchase of alcoholic drinks by UK households has risen by nearly 10% in a year.
eco-friendly bags
Jobs for over-50s
Protest goes on
Unilever down
Sundora sold
Drinking at home
The supermarket is struggling to increase its market share because planning law is stacked in favour of town centre developments and follows needs-tested guidelines.
Asda has been holding meetings with John Prescott and other government ministers in a bid to persuade them to amend the planning regulations.
“At the moment retailers can operate monopolies or duopolies for years without any incentive to improve standards or reinvest in their stores - this is not a good deal for customers,” said an Asda spokeswoman.
However, planning experts said the law is unlikely to change as it was updated in March and in a recent speech to the Town & Country Planning Association Conference, Prescott announced that the new policy would continue to check the growth of out-of-town developments.
Chris Hicks, director of planning consultant CgMs, said Asda remained in a difficult situation. “It’s hard for a new supermarket to gain representation in a town that already has a major supermarket and planners say there’s insufficient need for another.”
Asda is arguing that the ‘adequate provision’ ruling - if one supermarket is already in an area, there is no need for another - should be changed to ‘adequate competition’. That would allow Asda to build a store in an area where a Tesco already exists, which it claimed would favour the consumer by increasing competition.
The Co-operative movement has introduced degradable bags across its entire pre-packed produce range. Degradable pre-packed fruit, vegetable and salad bags follow the introduction of Co-op degradable carrier bags in 2002 and degradable bread bags a year ago.
Sainsbury plans to recruit 10,000 more workers over the age of 50 by the end of next year, according to its second annual corporate responsibility report. It also intends to ramp up British-sourced organic goods to account for 70% of its offer, up from the current 65%.
Campaigners in Epsom, Surrey, are continuing their protest against plans to build a 78,988 sq ft supermarket in the town centre. The protesters have now said that they will stand at the next Epsom and Ewell Borough Council election in two years’ time to fight the plans.
Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever has reported an 18% fall in second-quarter operating profits to E1.265bn. It also revealed a 1% rise in overall sales, although underlying sales in Europe fell by 0.6%.
Whitworths has bought dried fruit and nut company Sundora Foods for an undisclosed sum. It will transfer all production at Sundora’s Pocklington-based factory to its own factory in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire.
UK consumers are drinking more alcoholic drinks at home, a government report has shown. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ 2003-04 Expenditure and Food Survey found that the purchase of alcoholic drinks by UK households has risen by nearly 10% in a year.
eco-friendly bags
Jobs for over-50s
Protest goes on
Unilever down
Sundora sold
Drinking at home
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