Proposed Co-op Stores in Scalloway & Sandwick ?

[Muckle Oxters]

I tink dirs a lot o folk who privately would love a Co-op in dir area but dunna want to admit it publicly for fear o bein seen as disloyal tae dir local shop. Dirs been a few folk to me who have said how bad it is dat da Co-op wid be takin ower da village, but at da same time dey get Tesco home delivery.

I tink becuase Sandwick is dat bit further awaa fae da Lerrick shops, and da Sandwick shop is peerier dan either o da two Scallowa shops, it's a bit different.

But baith communities are expandin and haein a peerie supermarket might be joost whit dey need. Dirs a lot o folk on low incomes and withoot cars in baith places dat wid benefit.

Dependin on whit happens, it wid be good if da Sandwick Bakery was able to carry on. Dey seem to supply a lot o local places. And as far as I ken, da Brae Post Office is in da Coop so hopefully dat wid continue tae.

[XAM7102]

Is there not a plan to boost the population of both area's with new housing scheme's ?

I always buy local, bread, milk, meat (apart from chicken), tatties, and other things like pastries, pies, filled rolls, coleslaw, and cake's etc. 

The larger shopping trips are done at tesco.

You do wonder how much it would take away from the Tesco delivery van compared with local shops. 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by XAM7102

[peeriebryan]

For reference:

• link to the Sandwick planning application and comments https://pa.shetland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=QQ3S9ROAGZ400
• link to the Scalloway planning application and comments https://pa.shetland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=QQ2S63OAGYY00

 

[Colin]

It's just not the local shops that would be threated.  Wholesalers (who supply the local shops) based in Lerwick would also feel it via reduced turnover.  There's a fair few folk employed in them as well.

On the other hand, people who normally shop in the Lerwick Co-op will now be able to do their main shop (more conveniently) in the Sandwick/Scalloway ones instead.  Might be a case of little, or no, overall effect.

What did the small Co-op do to Brae, what effect did it have. ?  Anybody know?

Perhaps the local shops might also be able to reduce their prices in order to compete?

I'm not so sure about Sandwick but, It might also be worth noting that for Scalloway at least, the proposed development will take place in an area that is not really suitable(?) for access by non-drivers, being a couple of hundred yards from the nearest bus stop, and the bus cannot stop 'at the door' because it is would be on quite a busy junction.  It would also be built on a bog, right underneath the Scord Quarry, and with a fairly limited local population cachement.

Fine for a packet of fags, or a bottle of milk if you live down the East Voe but, it's beginning to sound like a 'vanity' project. 

I think that the East Voe probably needs a small retail outlet of some sort but, I doubt that it needs something on this scale.

What about the Shetland Ponies that graze in the park, and the visiting geese that alight there?  Goodbye tourists ? Maybe Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi) was right after all..

At the moment,  I'm 'undecided'

[Ghostrider]

The Coop going to Brae made a certain sense, on top of local walk in trade they are reasonably well positioned to trap passing from all of Northmavine and the North Isles - Not an inconsiderable potential. But with these two, I'm tempted to think that maybe they're trying to apply the philosophy a step too far.

Scalloway makes some sense, they will catch the East Voe walk in trade, and are well placed to trap Trondra and Burra folk who currently shop in Scalloway or LK. But having already driven from Burra to under the Scord, is it all that big a deal just to keep on going to LK where the choice and probably prices are much better. Likewise, I doubt many scalloway folk will walk out to shop, so if you gotta drive a bit, you may as well just keep going a bit further to someplace better. I would presume they're maybe also hoping to catch a few from the Westside and Girlsta/Nesting  who'd prefer not to drive all the way to LK, I'd boubt that would be many though. When the choice is between festering down from Tingwall, or a quick run round Dale and down the Blackhill, I'd head east, but that's maybe just me.

Sandwick, unless for local trade makes no sense at all. few from further south who've had to travel 5-10 miles already to get there are going to faff around Sandwick sideroads getting in and out of Stove. May was well put another 15 on it and do Tesco. Its very difficult to see how the existing SBC shop can survive, given the close proximity, so unless they can revert back to pre 90's mode of being a bakery only and remain viable, they're a goner. Folk from further north won't bother coing south to it, especially not now there's a shop in Cunningsburgh again, and before that they'd gotten well used to shopping in LK anyway while there wasn't one.

Rather than the Coop setting up in direct competition to existing local shops like this, I'd rather see the Coop expand on what they've already started of wholesaling more of their own brand generic lines to local rural shops for resale. That way everybody gains a little, going it on their own somebody is going to end up getting the chain pulled on them, and whoever it is, it's most likely the public as customers will end up being the final losers.

 

[XAM7102]

1 hour ago, Colin said:

I think that the East Voe probably needs a small retail outlet of some sort but, I doubt that it needs something on this scale.

Maybe if this gets turned down it might make Blydoit Fish and the Sandwick Shop expand a bit to offer more products.

Edited April 15, 2021 by XAM7102

[MuckleJoannie]

3 hours ago, Colin said:

What did the small Co-op do to Brae, what effect did it have. ?  Anybody know?

 

The Co-op was the only shop in Brae before it was expanded. In my opinion if the Co-op want to open a new branch in the Central Mainland they should do it in Tingwall. There is no shop there and it is expanding faster than Scalloway at the moment.

[XAM7102]

7 hours ago, MuckleJoannie said:

The Co-op was the only shop in Brae before it was expanded. In my opinion if the Co-op want to open a new branch in the Central Mainland they should do it in Tingwall. There is no shop there and it is expanding faster than Scalloway at the moment.

There ca'nt be much in it when you factor in the new housing that's coming to Scalloway. Tingwall would be a good option though as there is plenty of space there and you pick up trade from north and west, but that would effect the westside shops and the one in nesting.

Edited April 16, 2021 by XAM7102

[Muckle Oxters]

I'm sure da Co-op will hae some fancy algorithms dat tell dem da best place tae pit a shop, and 'projected population density' (I made dat up mesel!) will liklee be an important factor.

Da Sandwick shop, splendid as it is, liklee widna be able to cope (Co-op?) we a growing population on da site it's currently on. It's already brawlly crubbit if dirs more that a handful o folk in

[Roachmill]

I'm only going to say this once , but GR makes a good point about folk not bothering to detour into the depths of Sandwick for a few errands. Those going further south will invariably stick with Levenwick, Mainlands, Toab or Bigton shops for that. That, and I canna see anyone with a car outside of Sandwick itself using it for their Big Shop when, depending on how heavy your foot is, Lerwick is but minutes away.

[shetlander]

Retailers are only interested in one thing - making money - and don’t care what places might or might not ‘need’ a shop or what impact them moving in will have on any existing businesses. 

If Tingwall was going to bring them in the money that they’ve obviously predicted Scalloway or Sandwick will, they’d be biggin there. The same goes for Asda, Lidl or Aldi that folk on social media are saying we ‘need’ here. 

Good luck to the SIC on making the right decision on this one. Refuse them and they’ll be accused of stymying choice, approve them and folk will be complaining that they don’t give a damn about local businesses. 

Edited April 16, 2021 by shetlander

[Urabug]

The demise of the country shop has more to do with price than anything else, it is impossible for local businesses to compete with the large supermarket conglomerates who are able to purchase large quantities at reduced prices, consequentially are able to pass it on to us the customer.

Sandwick area used to have 4 shops ,and Burra also had 4 shops ,Scalloway had several, and if we look at Shetland as a whole most of the small shops are gone.

Wholesale businesses also cannot buy the quantities required to give them a reasonable profit margin for themselves and for there customers and we the customers are not prepared to pay extra just to keep them in business.

I have been surprised that many country shops have survived at all 

I don't want to see anymore shops go out of business as a result of those new proposed coop supermarkets, but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm prepared to pay more for my errands to support local business and I would guess that is much the same for most of us. 

Maybe we need to go back to the good old days when many items had the price marked on them by the manufacturer, then it was a level playing field in some respects.

 

[Colin]

43 minutes ago, Urabug said:

The demise of the country shop has more to do with price than anything else, it is impossible for local businesses to compete with the large supermarket conglomerates who are able to purchase large quantities at reduced prices, consequentially are able to pass it on to us the customer.

Sandwick area used to have 4 shops ,and Burra also had 4 shops ,Scalloway had several, and if we look at Shetland as a whole most of the small shops are gone.

Wholesale businesses also cannot buy the quantities required to give them a reasonable profit margin for themselves and for there customers and we the customers are not prepared to pay extra just to keep them in business.

I have been surprised that many country shops have survived at all 

I don't want to see anymore shops go out of business as a result of those new proposed coop supermarkets, but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm prepared to pay more for my errands to support local business and I would guess that is much the same for most of us. 

Maybe we need to go back to the good old days when many items had the price marked on them by the manufacturer, then it was a level playing field in some respects.

 

All fair comment, but like yourself, I do not want to pay any more than I have to.

I have noticed that some country shop charge a 'premium' on some items, and it is not unknown to be charged a whole £1 extra for a packet of ciggies.  I don't like price gouging anywhere, and I only get burned (sic) once, preferring to go without until I can get into co-op/tesco.

Strange really, because the country shop then loses out on the other stuff I might have bought at the time.

As for 'price marked' goods, there are still plenty about, but at the same time, I know of country shops that refuse to stock them!!!

The moral is that some country shops need to try and meet their customers halfway instead of treating them as a resource to fund a comfortable living.  If they were to do that, then they might stand a better chance of surviving.

 

[Urabug]

1 hour ago, Colin said:

All fair comment, but like yourself, I do not want to pay any more than I have to.

I have noticed that some country shop charge a 'premium' on some items, and it is not unknown to be charged a whole £1 extra for a packet of ciggies.  I don't like price gouging anywhere, and I only get burned (sic) once, preferring to go without until I can get into co-op/tesco.

Strange really, because the country shop then loses out on the other stuff I might have bought at the time.

As for 'price marked' goods, there are still plenty about, but at the same time, I know of country shops that refuse to stock them!!!

The moral is that some country shops need to try and meet their customers halfway instead of treating them as a resource to fund a comfortable living.  If they were to do that, then they might stand a better chance of surviving.

 

The truth is our country shops and wholesalers are struggling to compete with supermarket prices and I would bet that any "add ons " in the country shops are probably well justified with extra delivery charges. Why would any shop owner in the face of strong competition charge more than they have to and chase away there customers.

Just take an assistants wages ,say £300 they would probably have to take in about £1500 to cover that plus all the other overheads ,electic ,heating ,phones ,insurance etc,etc.

The small local shop is a god send but if it is to remain we will all have to be prepared to pay extra for our errands, because they have to pay extra to get them as well. 

[XAM7102]

Will it end up going to a vote by the council or can the decision be made by the planning department only ?