Supermarket pull-out in the US and Japan is a green relief

The news that the large retail supermarket Tesco is to pull out of the US after never having made a profit, as well as Japan, is refreshing news for local businesses and organisations. It is also said to be planning to take "a more measured approach to growth in China." The fact that the company has said this is a clear sign that it has recognised that the policy of significant and excessive expansion in as short a time as possible is not profitable, and certainly not good for society. It simply leads to a surfeit of stores all owned by the same firm, resulting in a lack of choice and diversity, and leads to a 'standardised' service that is at the expense of more intimate and personal local stores.

Tesco's departure will leave the way open for newer, local businesses to take their place, ideally run by local people who can have a say in the way their supermarket is run and the items it stocks so as best to meet their needs. Yes, Tesco may make individual concessions to local demand - the products it sells in Japan, for instance, will not be the same as those it sells in China or the US - but what Tesco offers is an identikit formula for each of it's stores that does not offer a unique or interesting shopping experience.

It might be argued that some people want a familiar, uncomplicated shopping experience at the end of a hard day's work, but the benefits of a firm being owned and managed locally is that those who are responsible for it can be more responsive to local needs and business conditions. This negates the need for regional, national or even globally-based managers to get on a plane to come and see how business is going for themselves, or else plan the business strategy for a store of lesser value at a distance, i.e. central planning. It is highly unlikely that every store or service can be given the attention it deserves in line with the needs of the local community at a distance, and this is the same for almost every other store or service one needs today. The loss of Tesco is not something to be lamented, but celebrated as an opportunity for local business ventures to make themselves known.