Supermarket Update

[LSWR Cavalier]

Fresh Sprouts are in the stores now!
..
Took the train to a small town near me. There used to be a l-l food store opposite the train station, it has been demolished and a new l-l store, much bigger, is being built on the same site, zero revenue for several months, I guess a--i is taking much more. But how can closing the store and taking no money for months and investing millions in a new store make financial sense?

 

[Hadders]

Fresh Sprouts are in the stores now!
..
Took the train to a small town near me. There used to be a l-l food store opposite the train station, it has been demolished and a new l-l store, much bigger, is being built on the same site, zero revenue for several months, I guess a--i is taking much more. But how can closing the store and taking no money for months and investing millions in a new store make financial sense?

Because the increased sales from the larger store will pay back the investment.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Because the increased sales from the larger store will pay back the investment.

Where do the increased sales come from? Population is declining round here, and each person can only eat one steak. The market is mature, I can not see how it could expand. Besides, I am bombarded with advertising for goods at ever lower prices %).

I wish there was a real cheap simple food store, like a--i used to be.

 

[SteveM70]

Where do the increased sales come from? Population is declining round here, and each person can only eat one steak. The market is mature, I can not see how it could expand. Besides, I am bombarded with advertising for goods at ever lower prices %).

I wish there was a real cheap simple food store, like a--i used to be.

Bigger store = bigger range = bigger share of existing customers’ shopping spend + new customers attracted who want the convenience of doing all their shop in one store

 

[Hadders]

I’d be surprised if you live in an area where no new housing is being built. Flats seem to be being built all over the south east at the moment.

They will also take sales from competitor businesses. Trust me, but companies like Lidl won’t invest large sums of capital monies in a project unless they see a return on it.

 

[Freightmaster]

Fresh Sprouts are in the stores now!
..
Took the train to a small town near me. There used to be a l-l food store opposite the train station, it has been demolished and a new l-l store, much bigger, is being built on the same site, zero revenue for several months, I guess a--i is taking much more. But how can closing the store and taking no money for months and investing millions in a new store make financial sense?

Out of curiosity, is there some reason why you are reluctant to type the words Lidl and Aldi on this forum
without resorting to inserting random hyphens? Do you think you will be sued for libel or something?



MARK

 

[johnnychips]

I will agree with @Xenophon PCDGS that sparkling water is great, either on its own or in cordials. It is probably better for you than drinking pop. However, I would never buy still water. Mind you since I moved to Sheffield, the tap water definitely does not taste as good as the water in Doncaster - squirt a bit of lemon juice in it. I have no doubt there is some geological reason.

The Co-op is really short of fizzy water at the moment, and the assistant said they were being ‘outbid’. Did I read of a CO2 shortage somewhere? or did I dream this?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The Co-op is really short of fizzy water at the moment, and the assistant said they were being ‘outbid’. Did I read of a CO2 shortage somewhere? or did I dream this?

You did correctly recall. Seems that the plant in Billingham that produces the stuff has recently been offline.

Strangely, there were also food grade CO2 shortages reported in Summer 2018 and Summer 2020.

Is this the time of the year that CO2 plants usually shut down for annual maintenance?

 

[Busaholic]

The Co-op is really short of fizzy water at the moment, and the assistant said they were being ‘outbid’. Did I read of a CO2 shortage somewhere? or did I dream this?

I think it's due to goods competing for space on the available lorries. Water is bulky and yields less in the way of profits in comparison with many goods, so it piles up in Buxton or wherever! The Co-Op, though, have greatly increased their wages to lorry drivers, with signing-on bonuses, etc, so their stock shortages may be fewer than competing supermarkets in the medium term.

 

[Mojo]

Out of curiosity, is there some reason why you are reluctant to type the words Lidl and Aldi on this forum
without resorting to inserting random hyphens? Do you think you will be sued for libel or something?



MARK

I was wondering the same thing. It’s very confusing and took me a while to work out what on earth the poster was talking about.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

I do not like mentioning names or 'advertising'.

 

[bengley]

I do not like mentioning names or 'advertising'.

The forum rules don't allow you to use acronyms or jargon without first clarifying what you're talking about.

"Please remember many members do not understand rail “jargon” (including acronyms, station codes and specialist terms). Such terms should be correctly defined the first time they are used; codes and abbreviations must not be made up."

 

[py_megapixel]

The forum rules don't allow you to use acronyms or jargon without first clarifying what you're talking about.

"Please remember many members do not understand rail “jargon” (including acronyms, station codes and specialist terms). Such terms should be correctly defined the first time they are used; codes and abbreviations must not be made up."

Aldi and Lidl are hardly 'rail'!

 

[bengley]

Aldi and Lidl are hardly 'rail'!

I would have thought the rule extends to anything which people aren't likely to understand. It just makes sense.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

If the management of a cheap food store near me decided not to build anew, but to reduce prices instead in the perfectly adequate existing store, I should shop there.
Perhaps there is room at the 'bottom' of the market for an honest simple cheap food shop.

Lots of new buildings, not just shops, are like new trains, not better than the old ones, often with awful 'lighting concepts'.
..
When one replacement store was built, I intended to go to the old store on the last day, hoping to "save" some cash by buying goods at reduced prices*. But it closed a couple days before the new one opened so some equipment could be transferred.

* I am retired, I enjoy trying to find the best prices.

 

[yorksrob]

I've been to a few supermarkets and I can't seem to find the excellent Dolmio plant based bolognese pouches in any of them. I'm hoping that it's a logistics problem but fear discontinuation.

 

[Darandio]

I've been to a few supermarkets and I can't seem to find the excellent Dolmio plant based bolognese pouches in any of them. I'm hoping that it's a logistics problem but fear discontinuation.

This one here?

Get stocked up, 2 for £1 with just over 3 months shelf life.

 

[yorksrob]

This one here?

Get stocked up, 2 for £1 with just over 3 months shelf life.

Thanks. I might well use that site, although my preference would be for a physical shop somewhere.

I see there linked to Fultons, so I might have to try there.

 

[greyman42]

I will agree with @Xenophon PCDGS that sparkling water is great, either on its own or in cordials. It is probably better for you than drinking pop.

Fizzy water has a high sugar content so is not particularly healthy.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Fizzy water has a high sugar content so is not particularly healthy.

Really?!

 

[Darandio]

Fizzy water has a high sugar content so is not particularly healthy.

Presumably you are referring to flavoured sparkling water. Normal sparkling water doesn't have sugar added.

 

[greyman42]

Presumably you are referring to flavoured sparkling water. Normal sparkling water doesn't have sugar added.

Oh right. I obviously did not know that! Mcr Warrior must think I'm a bit thick. So is that the likes of perrier water?

 

[Darandio]

Oh right. I obviously did not know that! Mcr Warrior must think I'm a bit thick. So is that the likes of perrier water?

Yeah. Perrier, Evian, own brands etc. It should be simply spring water with added 'fizz'.

 

[greyman42]

Yeah. Perrier, Evian, own brands etc. It should be simply spring water with added 'fizz'.

Cheers, you learn something every day.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Mcr Warrior must think I'm a bit thick.

Heaven forfend!

 

[yorksrob]

This one here?

Get stocked up, 2 for £1 with just over 3 months shelf life.

Thanks. Duly found and stocked up !

 

[Darandio]

Thanks. Duly found and stocked up !

Were they in Fulton's?

 

[yorksrob]

Were they in Fulton's?

They were indeed !

 

[Darandio]

They were indeed !

Result, enjoy!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I had one of those unusual Sunday hospital appointments scheduled yesterday for an echocardiagram and one of my twin sons had arranged to take me there and bring me back home. When he arrived, he brought eight two-litre glass bottles of San Pellegrino Italian sparkling water that were fitted with metal screwcaps. He said they had plenty of stock of them at their local large garden centre that has a rather good food section near to where he lives. As an added treat, he also brought six assorted hand-made pies made locally in Cheshire East, by the Great British Pie Company, from the same food department. I shall now have plenty of cordials now to drink in the coming days.