Sir, I was studying two items that had just arrived in the post namely flyers from a German discounter with a supermarket in Hawick and one from a Scottish owned food discounter along from Galashiels cop shop.
I remarked that it would be great to have prices like these advertised in a store in Selkirk where the two convenience store that masquerade as supermarkets are considerably higher than retail establishments in neighbouring towns, very often 50 per cent and more higher.
My wise aunt suggested that one of the German owned discounters could take over the former Baxters building but I threw that out because in the early 1990s the then Borders Regional Council zoned that part of the industrial area as non food retail and it still stands today and the German Discounters always build purpose built new stores without exception.
I always recall that in 1991 the then Safeway Corporation had been thwarted in an attempt to take over the Burgh Yard in Galashiels as they wanted to inject some competition into the Galashiels supermarket trade which was dominated by the former Gateway and Co-op Pricefighter stores.
Safeway then turned their sights to Selkirk but the non food retail diktat from Borders Regional Council put paid to that, and they moved onto Hawick where they invested £20 million in what is today a highly successful Morrisons store.
I worked there for five years and every day I thought that it would have been great to have had that store and over 200 jobs in Selkirk instead. I guess there never will be a highly competitive supermarket in the town ever.
When I frequently visit the German discounters in Hawick and Galashiels I actually come across more Souters I know than on the rare visits to our two largish convenience stores in Selkirk, proving there is a market for one in the town but sadly with nowhere to be built.
A few weeks ago I was described as a ‘Rebel Community Councillor’ which I think is an unfair comment by this newspaper, my “crime” so to speak is that I say things as I see them.
I am, etc.
Nik Wirsten Selkirk
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