IS THE SUPERMARKET PAST ITS SELL BY DATE?
With Tesco declaring £2bn pounds profit, and with most of us spending £4000 in supermarkets annually, it would appear that convenience has won the battle of the nation's wallet. Locally, with bright new Tesco in Holland Park, Notting Hill & Queensway, it seems a sizeable chunk of our income is destined to agree. Yet are we really getting the value that is promised?
On one hand supermarkets with their locality cards, focus groups, enhanced smells, and coded shelf layouts really do seem to offer such price promise. Yet it has to be said a street market can just as equally offer a vibrant shopping atmosphere, albeit without the mind wash. So with summer coming it seems just the right time to ask- who really offers best value on a range of 14 similar salad and barbecue items 'Tesco's everywhere' or London's premier Portobello Rd market?
How the prices differ:
| £ |
Tesco |
Portobello Market |
| Olives (400g) |
3.63p |
2.40p |
| Limes (each) |
17 |
10 |
| Tomatoes kilo |
1.64 |
80 |
| Red pepper (each) |
72 |
40 |
| Cucumber |
60 |
50 |
| Coriander, bunch |
1.08 |
80 |
| Spring Onion, bunch |
51 |
50 |
| Avocado (large) |
90 |
70 |
| French Bread (stick) |
85 |
1.10 |
| Parmesan (200g) |
3.10 |
2.20 |
| Mozzarella Cheese |
1.50 |
1.00 |
| Best sauasages (kilo) |
4.39 |
4.45 |
| Chicken thighs (kilo) |
3.00 |
2.00 |
| Bottle of white Soave wine |
4.15 |
4.99 |
| TOTAL |
£26.24 |
£20.64 |
Though not 100% conclusive it does appear clearly that the market is number one for local value. And why is this worth highlighting? The answer is because across London in Newham, the council there has granted permission to a giant ASDA store at the expense of 60 shops and 80 street stalls. This despite government planning regulations which now specifically refer to the "valuable contribution" made by street markets and the legal instruction that Council's must invest in their future. If. anything, as our survey shows, it's the supermarket that may have reached its sell by date. |
