Supermarkets boost trade

- Published: 01 July, 2006

ears for the livelihoods of independent butchers' shops in a small Scottish town following the arrival of two supermarket chains may yet prove unfounded.

Fears for the livelihoods of independent butchers' shops in a small Scottish town following the arrival of two supermarket chains may yet prove unfounded.

Tesco opened in April, and Asda six weeks later, on the outskirts of Huntly, in Aberdeenshire, which has a population of just 4,400. Since the openings, business has actually grown for the town's butchers.

Until the giants moved in, locals had the choice of a Costcutter convenience store, a small Somerfield store, and three butchers' shops. Douglas Raeburn, who trades as Gordon Rhind, said: "We will just continue to do what we do. Our only sales that are down are in vegetables but I am not too worried about that."

Charles Raeburn, who runs one of the two Forbes Raeburn butchers' shops in the small town, said trade is actually up. He thinks it is because people from outside the town are travelling in to go to the superstores, then coming to the high street as well.

But although his business has not suffered so far, Charles thinks granting planning permission was a mistake. "It should never have happened. I won't shop there on principal. Local people would have had enough in the town without them."

He said he would have to wait at least a year to assess the full impact on his business. Another independent butcher in the town, George Fullerton, runs a shop called Scott the Butcher. He said although he was worried about the future, the new superstores have yet to have an effect on his business. "We'll see six months down the line," he said. "You've got to be concerned about the future but this is a farming community, and my customers are loyal.We've still got our local, regular customers, and because there are no serve-over counters at the supermarkets, just prepackaged meat, we sell the products they can't buy there."

Although the opening of the supermarkets has not affected the independent butchers in Huntly yet, Douglas Scott of the Scottish Meat Traders Federation, said he was worried about the effect supermarkets could have on the whole community.

"We're very concerned about this, and not just for the local butchers. Big supermarkets can wreck the heart of community and destroy town centres, even though that hasn't happened in Huntly yet."

Only time will tell whether locals will continue to support Huntly's three butchers.