Read the protesters' open letter to Tesco's bosses over price rises in Leamington

Over the past few weeks, we have been covering the story about Tesco increasing some of its prices at its store in the Parade, due to the fact that it is being rebranded from a Tesco Metro to a Tesco Express. There have been protests outside the store - and here is an open letter from some of the protesters, addressed to the Tesco UK managing director and Tesco chief executive.

OPEN LETTER TO TESCO BOSSES

The rebranding of the Tesco store in The Parade, Leamington from a Tesco Metro to an (oversized!) Tesco Express has resulted in significant price rises across nearly every item sold in the shop and also a reduction in the range of the goods sold.

Those who have been hit hardest are the oldest and most vulnerable shoppers who walk there – or use buses which stop immediately outside the store. Up until recently these shoppers, producing no emissions whatsoever, could afford to shop there for all their food needs using a single bag or trolley on a daily basis.

By protesting outside the store for just a few short periods of time we have collected over 600 signatures in favour of our petition and more than 200 online at www.change.org – ‘Stop Tesco Metro store becoming a Tesco Express store’.

Most of those who agree with us are already finding ways to avoid the store altogether – or to reduce the amount that they shop there. The fact that there are several hundred less people regularly visiting the store must now have become evident to Tesco plc who will have measured the reduction in the footfall (estimated by us to be of the order of at least 20 per cent) as well as the reduction in the turnover – possibly more than 30 per cent. For a store whose staff have performed so brilliantly well for years in helping their customers this is a complete disaster – for them, for Tesco plc and for the town of Leamington.

We know that other Tesco Metro stores that are smaller than the branch in The Parade, Leamington have been designated superstores with the result that there haven’t been significant price rises, a reduction in the range of goods and a consequent drop in footfall and sales. The closest example of this might be in Knowle.

There are several hundred shoppers here in Leamington who would be only too pleased to return to the store if you review your decision to rebrand it as a super-sized Tesco Express and instead to return it to a Metro – without the huge price rises and the reduction in the range of goods.

Therefore please review your decision to rebrand the Leamington Tesco Metro as a Tesco Express. Your customers would immediately be ready to return to shopping there again omn a regular basis.

Signed by Peter Glanfield, Paul Dickins, Jenny Dickins, Peter Sturz and other protesters.