Nairnites must be used by now to planning decisions left hanging in the air, and our town centre with regard to Somerfield is unlikely to be any different, for to complicate matters the Co-operative group now own Somerfield. How much Somerfield can now negotiate as a company is perhaps questionable, especially with regard to future expansion and planning matters.As the Nairnshire reports today in an article, Highland Council’s head of estates and property have written to the Co-op for clarification over the Nairn Somerfield store but are still awaiting a reply.
The Gurn contacted the Co-op press centre to see if any further information could be gleaned.
• It’s the Co-ops plan to convert all Somerfield stores to Co-op stores within the next two years; Somerfield will cease to be a brand.
• We might start to see Co-op branded goods on the shelves of the Somerfield store before then (2 years) as the Somerfield own brands are wound up
• There’s no time scale at present for when the conversion of the Nairn store will happen.
• It's not unusual for the Co-op to have more than one store in a town (Thinking of Nairn here) so in theory there could be a store in the High Street and at the current Somerfield store.
• There are no plans to close either of the Nairn stores at the present time, and the Somerfield West End filling station could also be rebranded.
The conclusion is that the Co-op doesn’t wish to tell us too much about their future plans for Nairn at the moment. Two stores operating within yards of each other would make little commercial sense, there again both seem quite busy with customers but would they remain so if they stocked the same goods, with presumably what is now the Somerfield store having a greater range due to the larger floor space, I don’t think so.
Hopefully the Co-op will act quickly and positively with regard Nairn. A preferred scenario might be that they go ahead with the Somerfield store expansion rather than bother to rebrand and that this will become the main store for them (And us) in the town.
Nairn desperately needs positive action for it’s town centre and the building of a new store sooner rather than later would be a very good start. How many years have we been saying that!
• There’s no time scale at present for when the conversion of the Nairn store will happen.
• It's not unusual for the Co-op to have more than one store in a town (Thinking of Nairn here) so in theory there could be a store in the High Street and at the current Somerfield store.
• There are no plans to close either of the Nairn stores at the present time, and the Somerfield West End filling station could also be rebranded.
The conclusion is that the Co-op doesn’t wish to tell us too much about their future plans for Nairn at the moment. Two stores operating within yards of each other would make little commercial sense, there again both seem quite busy with customers but would they remain so if they stocked the same goods, with presumably what is now the Somerfield store having a greater range due to the larger floor space, I don’t think so.
Hopefully the Co-op will act quickly and positively with regard Nairn. A preferred scenario might be that they go ahead with the Somerfield store expansion rather than bother to rebrand and that this will become the main store for them (And us) in the town.
Nairn desperately needs positive action for it’s town centre and the building of a new store sooner rather than later would be a very good start. How many years have we been saying that!
8 comments:
What about Morning, Noon and Night, and the Tradespark Shop? Are they not Co-op related? I know they are not in the town centre, but surely Nairn is becoming like Inverness with very little, or no choice, in 'super' markets.
What about Morning, Noon and Night, and the Tradespark Shop? Are they not Co-op related? I know they are not in the town centre, but surely Nairn is becoming like Inverness with very little, or no choice, in 'super' markets.
The fact that the Co-op is taking over Somerfields, and also has its High Street store, the Morning Noon and Night and the Tradespark shop, effectively means that the Co-op is already more of a dominant monopoly in Nairn than Tesco is in Inverness.
At least in Inverness Tesco has to reckon with Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi and, yes, the Co-op.
The prospect of Co-op domination of Nairn (which has only really emerged after the original Sainsburys development bid was drawn up) now has to be one of the strongest arguments in favour of the early and rapid approval of that Sainsburys proposal.
Competition from Sainsburys is vital to prevent the Co-op exploiting its monopoly, and to give the residents of Nairn a local choice.
Morning noon and night is not part of the Cooperative group even although they use the logo. Scotmid is the owner of the Morning noon and night and Scotmid are just another type of cooperative business, of which there are many
@ anon (30/7)
The North Star has a denial of the story that you have heard.
http://www.north-star-news.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/4830/Co-op_rules_out_closure_threat.html
Actually Scotmid is owned by the same Co-operative as the one in question, the Co-operative Food. The Co-operative also owned Semi-Chem which is also in Nairn - totalling Nairn’s Co-operative store to 5!! (The Co-operative Food, Semi-Chem, Moring, Noon and Night, Somerfield and Somerfield Forecourt)
Used to buy Somerfield simple corn flakes and Chilean wine. Co-op cornflakes taste like sawdust, and wines are different brands and poorer value. Just as well ASDA have now opened a store!
It's a good point anon re the quality of the co-opie food, but I always find that after supping a couple of spoonfuls of ma wine and cornflakes that its hard to tell the difference
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