Tesco bows to pressure from small Wirral bookshop

by: Liam Murphy

Supermarket giant Tesco has been persuaded by a Wirral bookshop to promote its business.

Independent bookstore Lingham's, in Heswall, is located just across the road from the supermarket and has faced stiff competition from the corporate giant, particularly over best-selling titles.

Partly out of frustration, Lingham's manager Eleanor Davies wrote to the chief executive of Tesco, Sir Terry Leahy, suggesting the store could allow them to advertise their products.

Mrs Davies said the idea came after seeing an interview with Sir Terry in which he admitted a certain amount of guilt over the threat his supermarket chain posed to smaller shops.

Mrs Davies said: "I just sent and email and said to him 'put your money where your mouth is.'

"We are constantly having problems being undercut by Tesco. They sell some mainstream books for far cheaper than we ever could.

"But we're not just a shop - we have poetry evenings, book clubs and readings from authors."

In her email to Sir Terry, she said: "In Tesco over the road, a lot of the books we sell are going for substantially less than half the RRP. We cannot begin to compete with this.

"The books in stock at Tesco are always on the best-seller list and I realise you have to make a profit just as we do. However - and here is my suggestion - there are plenty of books we stock which you would never have on your shelves. So I would like to suggest that, in order to show that you don't want to decimate local businesses, why don't you allow us to advertise above the books you are selling?"

Mrs Davies said: "Tesco emailed back almost immediately saying they agreed with us, and that they would talk to the local manager about putting up a sign."

The Tesco email, from Regional Corporate Affairs Manager Deborah Hayeems, said: "It is always encouraging to hear from independent retailers like yourself with practical suggestions for how we can work together. I have spoken to our store manager, who would be happy to install some signage to direct people to your for less-popular titles."

The sign says: "For a wider selection of titles and book-buying advice, why not cross the road to Lingham's, where the specialist staff would love to help you."

Mrs Davies said she could not be sure how many people had come as a result of the sign, but that since the sign was put up several weeks ago the shop's sales had been up over the Christmas period.

A spokesman for Tesco said the decision to agree to put up the sign was a local one made at store level.

He said: "It shows that local traders can survive side-by-side with Tesco, and that we take responsibility to the local community seriously."

from: Liverpool Daily Post