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Many people think Safeway is Sydenham's best
supermarket. It may be small, it may not be cheapest but it is convenient for
the High Street and the staff and quality do attract custom. Did the Morrisons
takeover of Safeway change things?
The Morrisons board at the front of the store promised
us better things and lower prices. Hmmm... the first thing we saw was the
ending of the petrol discount. That's put a few pence a litre on my trips to
Wales. Then my favourite fresh baked baguettes (a real Safeway speciality) got
hiked 50%.
The quality of the veg & fruit took a dive, the
staff got restless at the growing complaints on the bizzarre product changes
and pricing. Then they began to leave.
At the same time under Morrisons - Safeways sales
tumbled nationwide - and are still going down. The problems we saw in Sydenham
were repeated elsewhere as Morrisons attempted to impose its 'Yorkshire Method'
of cheap basic groceries rather crudely in a market that was used to something
more sophisticated.
A company that expects it customers to change ethos
rather than adapt to new markets is brave or foolish. Or both.
The result is that Morrisons have to do something to
recover the Safeways position. As they do not appear to be able to manage their
way out of it - they are now selling off one chunk to Somerfields to save the
rest. And so Sydenham Safeways will now become Sydenham Somerfields - with a
storefit as early as January according to their Press Office.
Only those with very short memories will not recall
that Somerfields was a competing supermarket only a few doors away down
Sydenham Road. Except they couldn't compete and sold their store to
Lidl.
Will the new Safeway/Somerfields fare any
better?
Somerfields reputation was, like Morrisons, of being a
cheap tin can store. They have, in recent years, attempted to improve their
fruit & veg lines. Will they be willing to look and learn and find a
profitable formula for Sydenham (and other similar Safeway stores)? Or will
they try and impose a rigid formula from outside?
I do hope Somerfield do get it right with Safeway. It
is not a big store, it can't make a lot of money and must fear closure through
rationalisation. That would be a sad loss to Sydenham residents. It would be a
loss to other high street businesses that benefit from the walk by trade that
Safeways generate. The greatest loss, of course, would be the staff themselves.
It is their jobs that are most at risk.
www.somerfield.co.uk
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Morisson still clueless
about Safeway
Ken Morrison still
appears to be determined to bring Yorkshire values to Safeway shoppers. Well
apart from possibly Yorkshire - the former Safeway shopers are having nothing
to do with it and going elsewhere.
Not only that but some
of Morrison's investors are doing the same. Scottish Widows have sold most of
their 4% stake |
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