What will happen to Malmesbury if Sainsbury’s comes to town?

Dr Anna Palmer, an economics lecturer who lives in Charlton, has ploughed her way through hundreds of pages of the planning application from Sainsbury’s to analyse the true effect such a new store would have on the area.

“Much of what Sainsbury’s puts forward is very appealing for local residents – they are offering jobs and a close, convenient place to shop – but when you look more closely at their claims, and at the wider picture of the effect of out-of-town superstores on market towns like Malmesbury – the picture is not so rosy,” says Dr Palmer.

From analysing Sainsbury’s annual reports she shows that the true figure of full-time equivalent jobs created when a new Sainsbury’s opens is 12, rather than the 200 claimed in the planning application.  

The new jobs created will be offset by jobs lost from Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and Asda as shoppers switch away from their current store as they are drawn to Sainsbury’s. The biggest impact will be on the Co-op, as the current store on Gloucester Road is likely to close – with the loss of 17 full-time and 41 part-time jobs.

In addition, money spent at Sainsbury’s leaves Malmesbury, whereas money spent in independent shops in the town continues to circulate and has a bigger economic impact. A fall in High Street spending has a multiplied impact on the local economy and will affect all of the current High Street shops and services.

Dr Palmer has also been in contact with the Co-op, which has prepared its own report on how it thinks a new Sainsbury’s would affect its trade.

“The Co-op expects a fall in turnover of 23% in its shop at the top of the High Street.  So, if we apply this level of impact to the other shops that sell like-for-like goods – butchers, bakers, newsagent, florist, card shops – it is easy to see that a reduction in turnover of 23% will push these shops into loss and they will close.

“The closure of even one shop and the reduced footfall will impact on all of the shops in the High Street and more shops, and all the businesses which serve them, like the accountants, cafes and solicitors will also suffer. Local businesses employ local people and so more local jobs will be lost.”

Dr Palmer has already started work on analysing the planning application from Waitrose.

“A local expert has pointed out that the plans by Waitrose to route its entire surface run off water from the site into the river next to the weir will increase the risk of flooding for local residents.  It is observations and knowledge like this that proves these planning requests are not simple yes/no decisions.  The impact of either of these stores building in Malmesbury is huge, and certainly not positive,” she concludes.