Back in September we reported on the pending application of retail giant Sainsbury’s and their bid to open in place of closed down mini market 'Best One' on West End Lane. Opinions were mixed and it was not certain whether this would be good for the local shops and surrounding businesses.
According to local shop owners on West End Lane, their reports had shown that sales had gone down by as much as 50% since Tesco's opened and they are worried that if a Sainsbury's opens then they may end up losing business and possibly closing due to the competition from both stores.
However, the opinion recently from the local’s who shop in
West Hampstead is that a large amount of people currently shop at Tesco's. Therefore it could possibly be the Tesco trade that is likely to decrease and not the trade at local specialised shops.
Although many people enjoy the idea of shopping in a franchise store or independent shop because of the personal service they get, the reality is that in recent years many more people have chosen to shop in chain stores. This is because of the cheaper price of the produce and the convenience.
For those who work in
West Hampstead broadening the choice of where to purchase lunch is very much welcomed! The new Sainsbury's will be opening in February and we are looking forward to having more choice, trying something new and ‘tasting the difference’!