Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
London ‘grocery vacuum’ with ‘sky high’ food costs
HARLESDEN, BRENT, HAS NO BUDGET SUPERMARKETS
WHILE many Londoners take it for granted that they have a budget supermarket on their doorstep, shopping at Aldi, Lidl or Asda remains a pipe dream residents of one neighbourhood.
We spoke to people who live Harlesden, in Brent, North West London, about how they cope with living in a grocery vacuum with no cheap supermarkets.
The nearest Lidl for residents is in Cricklewood, over an hour’s walk north of Harlesden High Street. The nearest Aldi is in Kilburn, around a 50 minute walk.
An Asda superstore in Park Royal is the closest budget supermarket – but even that is more than half an hour’s hike from Harlesden high street.
At the same time, Harlesden has some of the highest deprivation levels in the UK – meaning some of the Londoners struggling most with inflated food prices could have the lowest access to affordable food.
The supermarket options are limited to an Iceland on the high street, and a Tesco currently operating on a very small amount of stock before it opens as a superstore in December. Harlesden residents have expressed their frustration at not having a cheap all-rounder supermarket on their doorstep, and explained how they cope, from ‘shopping around for bits and pieces’ in small high street shops, to getting home deliveries or catching the bus to Asda ‘once a month’ to do a big shop for essentials. Janet Pine, 54, told MyLondon she mostly shops in Tesco and Iceland, but is struggling with the price of food more and more. “I’m on benefits,” said Janet, “I have to pay my rent, my tv licence, and Christmas is coming up soon.” Janet said Tesco is “expensive,” and she has noticed food prices shooting up in recent months. “Teabags, milk, everything. The price of bread used to be £1.10 now it’s up to £1.40. It used to be £1.10 in Iceland now it’s about £1.55, £1.65.” Janet said: “the only shop that’s decent round here is Asda in Park
I love this country, it’s a beautiful country with plenty of opportunities, but the working class are struggling now. Mustapha Ghani
Royal” – but she has to catch a bus to get there.
There’s certainly no shortage of food on Harlesden High Street, where independent butchers, fishmongers and grocery stores abound.
Residents can get cheap food if they are willing and able to spend hours shopping around – but those with busy lives are desperate for a cheap supermarket where they can go ‘for everything’.
Another resident, 62-year-old Margaret Donella, mostly gets by with “just a few bits from here and there” around the High Street, but she said even with shopping around to keep costs down her typical food bill is “sky high” these days.
“I think it goes up every day when I come out,” sighed Margaret, who said an Aldi would be “very handy.”
“It would be lovely,” said Margaret, who cares for her disabled daughter full-time, “because I get the bus, the 206, to Kilburn Aldi and that’s only a small one – they don’t have all the stuff. Asda in Park Ride isn’t far from me but that’s gone downhill. I either go there or Tesco in Neasden, which is another bus ride. It’s not easy.”
Residents who own cars, like 63-year-old Alicia Waugh, simply drive to find budget supermarkets – but would rather there was one locally.
“We need like a big Asda or something,” said Alicia, “We need some decent shops – there’s too many little unnecessary shops duplicated all over the place, they all sell the same thing... they call it a town centre but there’s nothing here.”
“There should be at least an Asda or Lidl,” agreed Stanley Sydney, 57, “I find it funny that a high street doesn’t have it.
“I shop around here because there ain’t much choice – so it’s basically Iceland or Tesco.
“When you go to Iceland you have to rush round because people shop there like there’s no tomorrow... a lot of things run out.”
Stanley said sometimes he will catch the bus to Lidl in Cricklewood, or to Asda, for more choice.
“You haven’t got as much choice in Iceland as you have in Asda, stuff you really need,” he said.
Stanley estimates he spends around £90 on food every 10 days for him and his five-year-old son.
As for increasing costs, the dad said: “I’m always struggling. Ain’t seen no difference.”
Mustapha Ghani, 60, who works in marketing, told a similar tale of having to “shop around” and said “of course” he wishes Harlesden has a budget supermarket.
Mustapha said he now takes the bus to Park Royal Asda once a month for a big shop, “and [I] go for a bigger budget, like £120 once a month, because it’s worth it from Asda.”
Mustapha, who lives in a one-bedroom flat in Harlesden, said he’s feeling the squeeze since energy prices went up.
“I used to pay between £60-80 per month for electricity, last week it came in like £120, like double,” said Mustapha, adding, “who doesn’t struggle with the cost of living now? ... I love this country, it’s a beautiful country with plenty of opportunities, but the working class are struggling now.”