28.02.2010
Climate change activists teamed up with local residents to invade the Tesco superstore in Lewes, East Sussex on Saturday in protest at plans to increase the size of the supermarket by 50%. More than 80 protesters took part, entering the store and embarking on a game of Tesco Whirl. The idea is to grab a trolley keep it empty and form up with others to create a giant conga chain.
The point of not actually shopping was to highlight that for every £3.00 spent on retail in Lewes, £2.00 is spent in Tesco.
By increasing the size of the store, money will be drained from the independent shops, harming the town’s local economy. But police had received a tip off about the action and were on hand to prevent some protesters entering the shop while ejecting those who attempted to form a chain. Still a chain of 10 trolleys at a time did form.
As activists were thrown out of the store a party formed at the entrance with music and dancing from activists in endangered animal masks.
Climate Camp activist and Lewes resident Marina Pepper said: “Tesco is more expensive than people realise, thanks to their misleading advertising campaigns. They also rip off farmers and destroy local communities by undercutting and bankrupting competition leading to high unemployment and boarded up town centres.
“Tesco has a strong foothold in Lewes. It’s only the robustness of the local economy that has saved it so far. But these expansion plans are madness and could spell the end, destroying so much that our town holds dear – namely our independent shops which provide us with choices as to how we shop and what we buy.
“This action today was only the launch of a campaign that will see Climate Camp working side by side with community groups to ensure one way or another Tesco’s growth plans are thwarted. We implore people to contact their local councilors, especially those on the planning committee and tell them a bigger Tesco is unwelcome here. Ever y little extra will hurt.”
The activities of massive supermarkets like Tesco involve scandalous waste, pollution and environmental degradation.
Supermarket food travels vast distances, products are over packaged and customers travel ever greater distances once local shops are driven out of business. This leads to an increase in road congestion, accidents, noise, air pollution and CO2 emissions which contribute to climate change.
Supermarket demands are also behind the continuing industrialisation of agriculture. Big farmers are getting bigger to survive while small farmers are going bust. This leads to increased disease among livestock and cruel factory farm practices.
Further information.
Tesco stores erode local choice as smaller, independent shops struggle to compete. Independent stores in the UK shut at the rate of 2,000 a year in recent years. Over 17,000 independent shops closed in England and Wales last year.
Large supermarkets like Tesco also:
• Siphon money away from local communities and towards distant corporations
• Increase traffic and congestion from lorry movements and customers
• Destroy local jobs and undermine local job markets
• Every large outlet causes the net loss of 276 local jobs on average
• Generate waste and over-package their products
• Exploit suppliers and damage the environment
• Cynically manipulate prices to fleece shoppers
Tesco is the largest retailer in the UK:
• Over £1 in every £7 (14.3%) of UK retail sales is spent at Tesco
• It has takings of more than £1 billion a week
• It made profits of over £3 billion last year
• It has £30 million turnover in Lewes compared to £17m for all other shops
southcoast@climatecamp.org.uk
http://climatecamp.org.uk/get-involved/local-groups/south-coast