Tesco should have met my old boss

I HAD a very wise boss in my first job who considered it his duty to educate junior staff in the ways of the world.

“Never kick anyone on your way up the ladder,” he told us. “You may need them on your way down.”

I’ve thought about him a lot this week after hearing that Tesco’s trading results are forcing the company to close stores and pull out of planned expansion.

This has to be a lesson for councils throughout the UK who have seen long-standing local traders go out of business as Tesco marched across the country, dominating towns.

Has it been all bad? Of course not, Tesco transformed grocery shopping, lowered prices and employed thousands of local people.

They didn’t court public opinion. Tesco didn’t consider it necessary. ‘Our customers vote with their feet’ they proclaimed as their sales increased exponentially. That maxim proved all too accurate when world food prices rocketed and customers went in search of cheaper alternatives.

Suddenly cut-price retailers became the flavour of the day, creating a seismic shift in buying patterns.

Councils across the country are now left with the problem of what to do with the empty spaces that were to be new Tesco developments and communities without local shops.

Goodwill is something you can’t buy and every little helps. Pity Tesco never met my old boss.