From 'chains' to partnerships? Supermarkets and regeneration

Abstract

The paper attempts to look at how supermarkets, a key sector of the economy, are affecting urban regeneration — specifically, local economies, local communities and local environments. Each section begins with a look at alleged dis-benefits and then goes on to focus upon possible benefits. The final stage asks how all that has been discussed can be taken forward in terms of a strategy for policy makers and civil society. Ultimately, local areas will have to decide, based upon local circumstances, what balance to aim for between independents and chains but, as the final section shows, there may also be the possibility for a hybrid solution in some areas — stores that are community owned but supermarket supplied and quality controlled. This hybrid is the 'partnership' referred to in the title, although other (less radical) ways in which supermarkets are partnering with various local agencies and communities are touched upon in several places. The paper concludes with suggestions for maintaining a genuine dialogue between supermarkets and their critics and providing regenerators with a clear view of how to ensure that retail plays a full part in area-based economic, social and physical regeneration.