Businesses call for Tesco to stay

Shopkeepers in East Lothian are campaigning against a Tesco store leaving one of their towns amid fears it could "devastate" business.

Haddington Business Association is "worried" footfall would take a huge downturn if the supermarket was to be moved to the outskirts as proposed.

It follows a planning application from Tesco to open a larger store 1.5 miles away and close the town centre site.

The planning application is halfway through a 21day consultation period.

"It’s nice to hear that so many local people value the service that their Tesco store gives them",
Tesco spokeswoman.

John Main, 54, chairman of the Haddington Business Association, said he feared the move could cause him to close his family hardware business, JS Main & Sons, which started in 1926.

He said: "Tesco plans to build one of these killer stores which catch all the incomers so they don’t go any further into the town.

"At the moment shoppers come to the Tesco store in the centre and then walk into the High Street, but they won’t be doing this if the store is more than 1.5 miles away.

"It is going to devastate the town and we all fear it is going to have a detrimental effect on our businesses. People will be less likely to come."

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "It’s nice to hear that so many local people value the service that their store gives them.

"In some ways it isn’t so surprising for us because we get such a lot of positive feedback from our customers and the communities we work in.

"We know that our stores act as a driver for other businesses."