Last updated at 13:56, Tuesday, 15 June 2010

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury’s wants to open a store in a South Lakeland town.

The supermarket giant has confirmed it is looking to open a food store in Ambleside, but has not revealed details of potential sites.

Mark Shepherd, owner of Clayton’s butchers in Compston Road, thinks a major supermarket on the outskirts of the town would be most damaging.

He said: “I think everybody is the same – if it’s going to be situated on the edge of Ambleside, everybody’s saying it will cut off anybody coming into Ambleside.

“Ambleside is more waterproof and outdoor clothing shops, there aren’t many of us food shops and it’s hard enough as it is.

“Custom is very seasonal. It’s very quiet in the winter. We kind of survive the winter off the back of the summer.

“The major consensus is it could be somewhere on Lake Road, in the Hayes (Garden World) area.

“All the food shops are in trepidation of what would happen. I think we’ve all survived on the basis that there’s not a major supermarket here.”

Margaret Spence, owner of Granny Smith greengrocers in Market Place for 25 years, said: “It will probably close most of the shops in town. It will affect the butchers, probably the bakers and certainly us.

“And then there’s all these other little outlets. It would have an awful effect.

“I think we might have to change what we are selling if it happens. We go to Liverpool market to pick up our supplies because it’s all fresher.

“There’s no dealing with a middle man that way. But these big supermarkets don’t seem to care about that. You sometimes wonder why you bother.”

Simon Dodds, owner of Sell View newsagents in Church Street for just five weeks, said: “It will do a lot of damage to most of the shops.

“I don’t know if it would affect us too much as we’re purely a newsagents.

“But then again, it would depend on where they site it.

“I must admit, it’s on our minds. We are worried about it. If it’s down near us, it will affect us.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “Sainsbury’s are very interested in opening a foodstore in Ambleside and we are currently looking at a number of options in the town.

“However, due to commercial confidentiality reasons, we cannot currently reveal any more details about particular sites.”

A spokeswoman for planning authority, the Lake District National Park Authority, said no planning application had yet been received.

She said: “Before that happens, we would have a retail impact study and assess whether any proposal would meet community needs and impact upon existing town centre shops.”

First published at 13:02, Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk