BBC NEWS | Business | UK supermarkets set for shake-up
Once again the Big, Bad Supermarket giants of the UK are in the news.
This is not a particularly new thing for the Big 4, who have a huge influence over the buying habits of the British public. 50 years ago, women (for it was almost always the women who did the shopping) would visit a selection of stores in their nearest high street, walking or catching the bus to get there. Service was provided on an individual basis by the baker, butcher or grocer behind a counter, there were no shelves or refrigerators from which you would select your own items.
The rise of supermarkets led to establishment of new centres generally on the edge of the towns, no longer a bus-ride or short walk away from people’s homes. Town centres started to lose their food shops and much of their individual character. Today in larger towns you will struggle to find a central shop to buy basic grocery supplies, and more and more of your taxes are devoted to solving the problems created by the traffic taking people to those out-of-town megastores.
Add to this the huge buying power of the supermarkets and their consequent ability to affect the price of food and its source. Now you can see why the biggest players are such a target for criticism.
There are many arguments put forward to support the positive effects of supermarkets on British life. One of the most convincing of these is that they have allowed the public at large to have a far greater choice of foods to eat especially at times of year when the natural, seasonal diet would be distinctly lacking in variety, dull and not optimally nutritious. They have also brought cheap, fashionable clothes within reach of all. But even these benefits are not without their down sides.
So supermarkets need to consider seriously their effects on the communities which are their customer base. At least in most areas (though the creation of monopolies in some places is another accusation laid at their doors) there is some competition between the big suppliers, and so a need to counteract the negative images sometimes conjured up by the latest media report.
What are these businesses doing then, to counter their bad press?
One of the most effective campaigns I have seen near me is by one of the big players which has 2 competitors near by. They have a new drive to sell local food (although “local” can mean sausages made 30 miles away, hardly local in the 1950’s sense of the word), they invite local schools in to visit and see, for example, how their bread is made in the store, and right next to the checkout desks for maximum visibility, they have news of the latest staff charity activities. All very commendable.
Bearing in mind that this store is quite a big employer locally, it has taken steps to make the employees feel involved in the success of the store, and this is evidenced in the cheerful, helpful attitude of the staff.
And looking further afield, it is stocking more Fair Trade supplies which should mean a better deal for at least some of its suppliers.
These are all good things to do. The reputation of the local branch of the store can only be helped by these activities. However, on the national level, the sheer scale of influence of big supermarkets on our daily lives means that they will continue to have to justify their attitudes and actions in all areas of their corporate social responsibility. This means right through their supply chain, in the way they treat staff and customers, and in the way they use energy and dispose of waste.
Supermarkets are an extreme example of ways in which large firms can affect communities at a variety of levels. It is vitally important that they are “Responsible Businesses”.
Your business may not have quite the same impact as a big supermarket chain. However, the higher your profile, the more important it is that your influence locally is seen to be a good thing overall. A well thought out community involvement strategy can help.
Read more about the benefits of community involvement here.
