Tesco@5. Is Tesco good for the town of Rhuthun/Ruthin and has Tesco affected the town centre? These were further questions we asked of you during the recent Tesco survey. Here's how you responded.From the first set of results we published, we already know that about two thirds of respondents (64%) visit Tesco daily or once or twice a week. And we know that fewer than half (46%) of respondents visit the town centre with the same regularity.
We asked, since Tesco's arrival, whether readers felt there were more people shopping or browsing in town. About two thirds of respondents (63%) felt that there were fewer people. About a third (30%) felt that there were about the same. Nine per cent who completed the survey were unsure. Significantly, no one at all (0%) felt that there were *more* people in town after Tesco. Here, at least, the conclusion was obvious.
We also asked the direct question, does Tesco bring people into town. This had a slightly different slant to it than the previous question. The preceding wondered whether there were more or fewer people in town, post-Tesco. The current simply looked at whether respondents felt people who visited Tesco ventured up Market Street.The results were split roughly a third each, between those who said, "Yes, Tesco brings people into town" (36%) and those who responded "No" (32%) and those who were unsure (32%).
We also asked the $64,000 question, Does Tesco affect the town unfavourably? Just over a half of those who responded (52%) felt that Tesco did. A third (32%) felt that Tesco did not. A sixth (16%) was unsure.
And, we also put another slant on the question by asking, Overall, has Tesco benefited the town? This gave a rather different result. 43% felt Tesco had benefited the town; a third (34%) said not; and a whopping quarter of respondents (23%) were not sure.
We also asked some "qualitative" questions about why people answered the last question in the way they did—and the results of that, and more, will have to follow.