I see that Waters & Robson - the local Morpeth firm selling (amongst other products) Abbey Well mineral water have sold up to Coca Cola. Even if Coca Cola keep the Abbey Well brand (and I guess that is what they are paying for), I don't think they'll see any reason why it should come from or be bottled in Morpeth - that'll be 80+ local jobs at risk as the 'rationalisation process' cuts in.
Of course, it is a privately-owned company, and the directors have a perfect right to sell their property - but I'd have said that Waters & Robson, in some way, also belongs to Morpeth. The business has been linked to the town for a century and more. I think there's an issue of loyalty here.
And even if Coca Cola keep the business in Morpeth - the profits will go out of the town, out of the local economy.
This is what I can't understand when people look for the 'big name' multinationals coming to Morpeth: Costa and Starbucks will threaten our local owned cafes, Subway is squeezing our local sandwich shops, Next, Timpsons, W H Smiths etc will all take business from locally owned shops - and (to my way of thinking) the challenge to our local independent butchers, bakers, delis and greengrocers are Morrisons, Tescos, Sainsburys and M&S - not the markets.
Sure the 'big names' may bring more people into Morpeth (though maybe not so many, if Bridge Street looks identical to any other high street) - but those people won't spend that much in the local shops, and though the 'big name' stores may 'create jobs', their profits will go out of the town - and jobs will be lost from the locally owned shops.
Showing posts with label local economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local economy. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Green candidates back Small Businesses
Green candidates in the North East are backing the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in their ‘Petition to No 10’ asking the Prime Minister to back local shops against the multinational supermarkets.
Geoff Potts, Green candidate for Lesbury, Northumberland – who is also a member of the FSB said:
“Two thousand local shops are closing every year. At this rate, by 2015 there will be no more independent retailers in the UK. Nationally, the average person travels 893 miles a year to shop for food. And the situation is worse in Northumberland, where villages are losing facilities and there is scarcely any public transport.”
Pam Woolner, Green candidate for Prudhoe West added:
“Small businesses put more of their profits back into the local community than the big corporates - but too often they get muscled out by the giant supermarkets and chainstores, leaving us with identical high streets up and down the country.”
“It’s happening in Berwick, Alnwick and Hexham, and could soon happen in Morpeth with the expansion of Morrisons and the possible arrival of Sainsbury's”.
And it isn’t just local shops, as Cllr Nic Best, Green candidate for Morpeth North says:
“Northumberland County Council know the value of investing in local businesses. Their ‘LM3’ work with the New Economics Foundation showed that money spent with local businesses is worth three times as much to the local economy as money spent with a multinational.
“So – if the new unitary authority must outsource services – then it should be looking to place contracts with local firms rather than relocating the jobs to Cambridgeshire or Northants.”
Nationally, Greens are lobbying to change planning laws to help our unique and irreplaceable local businesses to compete against the multinationals. Just as is dome for affordable housing, we want to see all new large business developments have to provide at least 50% of the total trading space as affordable premises for small enterprises.
Notes:
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is the largest business organisation in the UK. It represents over 210,000 businesses that collectively employ over 2.5 million people. Small businesses in the UK employ 58% of the UK's private sector workforce.Together they contribute half of UK GDP and employ more than 12 million.
Geoff Potts, Green candidate for Lesbury, Northumberland – who is also a member of the FSB said:
“Two thousand local shops are closing every year. At this rate, by 2015 there will be no more independent retailers in the UK. Nationally, the average person travels 893 miles a year to shop for food. And the situation is worse in Northumberland, where villages are losing facilities and there is scarcely any public transport.”
Pam Woolner, Green candidate for Prudhoe West added:
“Small businesses put more of their profits back into the local community than the big corporates - but too often they get muscled out by the giant supermarkets and chainstores, leaving us with identical high streets up and down the country.”
“It’s happening in Berwick, Alnwick and Hexham, and could soon happen in Morpeth with the expansion of Morrisons and the possible arrival of Sainsbury's”.
And it isn’t just local shops, as Cllr Nic Best, Green candidate for Morpeth North says:
“Northumberland County Council know the value of investing in local businesses. Their ‘LM3’ work with the New Economics Foundation showed that money spent with local businesses is worth three times as much to the local economy as money spent with a multinational.
“So – if the new unitary authority must outsource services – then it should be looking to place contracts with local firms rather than relocating the jobs to Cambridgeshire or Northants.”
Nationally, Greens are lobbying to change planning laws to help our unique and irreplaceable local businesses to compete against the multinationals. Just as is dome for affordable housing, we want to see all new large business developments have to provide at least 50% of the total trading space as affordable premises for small enterprises.
Notes:
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is the largest business organisation in the UK. It represents over 210,000 businesses that collectively employ over 2.5 million people. Small businesses in the UK employ 58% of the UK's private sector workforce.Together they contribute half of UK GDP and employ more than 12 million.
Sunday, 1 April 2007
More development in Manchester Street?
Rumour has it that up-market pizza chain “Pizza Express” has made an offer for the Boys’ Brigade Hall in Manchester Street.
I gather that an earlier offer from J D Wetherspoon to turn it into a chain pub was refused point blank because of the building’s history within the temperance movement.
Now I enjoy a good pizza as much as most (as though who know me will agree) – but in my view we have enough pizza outlets in Morpeth - and some very good ones too. And they have the added advantage that they are locally owned, so money spent there stays in the local economy. Money spent at a Pizza Express (or any other chain) would mostly go out of the area – on national or regional procurement, on national office admin and on profits to shareholders.
We don’t appreciate how lucky we are with Morpeth’s wealth of locally owned shops and businesses (though ‘wealth’ might not be the right word in some cases) – they make Morpeth special, keep our local economy going – and we should support them.
I gather that an earlier offer from J D Wetherspoon to turn it into a chain pub was refused point blank because of the building’s history within the temperance movement.
Now I enjoy a good pizza as much as most (as though who know me will agree) – but in my view we have enough pizza outlets in Morpeth - and some very good ones too. And they have the added advantage that they are locally owned, so money spent there stays in the local economy. Money spent at a Pizza Express (or any other chain) would mostly go out of the area – on national or regional procurement, on national office admin and on profits to shareholders.
We don’t appreciate how lucky we are with Morpeth’s wealth of locally owned shops and businesses (though ‘wealth’ might not be the right word in some cases) – they make Morpeth special, keep our local economy going – and we should support them.
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