We saw in yesterday’s post some reactions from town traders at the prospect of Tesco’s expansion. Potentially, will Rhuthun town centre suddenly be thrown into possible turmoil? Even so, it’s a passive thing, a waiting thing. At least the current Tesco is a relatively known quantity. Tesco’s expansion plans take the store into areas far wider than groceries; will this potentially threaten the livelihoods of shop workers in areas previously immune, in comparison rather than convenience shopping? Will this then directly affect the whole town? Yesterday, we asked the question whether a down turn among some traders could affect the viability of the remainder.The town centre must again draw up strategies to tackle what it might see as the cuckoo in its nest. Competition is no bad thing but isn’t it strange how, suddenly, the whole town has to compete against the newcomer Tesco to survive, rather than the other way round. It’s as if an enlarged Tesco will wipe away at a stroke the once time honed and subtle town centre balance, the dynamic that has waxed, waned and waxed again ever since the modern trading town centre became established in the 1910s.
An enlarged Tesco, however, may yet draw people to the town. It’s said that Tesco already brings people to Rhuthun regularly from Corwen and from personal experience, I’ve noticed one family from Y Bala and people from Dinbych/Denbigh coming to Tesco. Perhaps Tesco is right that people will travel up to half an hour for "local" shopping, not that those in Corwen have much choice. Whether they then wander into the town centre or just jump back in their cars is unknown. Will an enlarged Tesco further the scope for either of these possibilities?
At the moment, those people needing either refreshments, a wider range of general clothes or medicines *must* venture into the town centre. Will this be the case if and when Tesco expands? Among the array of boutiques to plain clothes shops, there are 13 cafés and two pharmacies. It’s known that nationally Boot’s has struggled against the onslaught of supermarkets but Boot's market presence is so much stronger than Well Street Pharmacy's, expanded and now under new management for the last year. How many of the 13 cafés with which Rhuthun is blessed rely on passing trade that *may* no longer be there?
Traders who were brave enough to speak to the Vale Advertiser already feel that the footfall is down. The term “footfall” is such a dehumanising word. It implies people react en masse in predictable ways to certain stimuli, in this case Tesco – and from the traders’ mouths, it seems that this is indeed the case.
The prognosis can only be good if, as we’ve always said, the town can offer something unique. Trouble is, the ability to become truly unique in the face of a Tesco spreading its wings to comparison goods is likely to be somewhat diminished.