Letter – It's naive to suggest old Co-op site is suitable for an Aldi

SIR – Councillors and a party representing Bradbeers suggesting that the Station Road former Co-op store site is suitable for the proposed Aldi store (A&T, 30th October) is both naive and concerning.

Have councillors no knowledge of supermarket supply logistics? Can you even manoeuvre a 30-tonne articulated truck in Spencer Road?

Deliveries are made in the early hours, so the residents would be wakened regularly by the reversing alarms and the crashing of the roll-out cages.

The other fatuous argument for denial was proximity to the Tesco store. I can think of three locations where rivals Aldi and Lidl have stores on adjacent sites. Others where Tesco and Asda are within 50 yards of each other.

Again, do councillors have no inkling of the sophistication of supermarket’s market research?

That Tesco have not sought planning to extend the New Milton store to an ‘Extra’ and Aldi are prepared to invest in a new-build store are based on their projections of market share linked to an overview of present and future demographics and likely development.

To endanger a multi-million investment by attempting to unload a grossly unsuitable, outdated retail unit is irresponsible and foolish.

Rod England,

Barton