Co-op saved our post office
From Paul S. Johnson Sir: I must agree with Rod Liddle's article (Free market my eye, 23 October) where he criticised the questionable behaviour of
supermarkets towards farmers, customers and animals.
One only has to read Felicity Lawrence's marvellous book, Not on the Label, about how supermarkets are treating farmers and animals to realise that Mr Liddle is not guilty of exaggeration.
The residents of the village of Emsworth in Hampshire have recently experienced the supermarkets' ambivalence towards their responsibility to local communities. Earlier this year the local village convenience store was purchased by Tesco. The store was renovated and re-opened minus the post office that had been sewing village residents up until then. Tesco had refused to carry on providing the post office facilities. Fortunately the Co-op, realising that village stores are all about serving the local community, stepped in and now provides post office facilities in its Emsworth store. The closure of the Emsworth post office would have left village residents with a mile-and-a-half walk to the nearest post office.
With regard to food, I choose to stay away from supermarkets. If you wish to stay healthy, buy local, fresh, seasonal food. This way you will achieve a balanced, nutritious diet while supporting your local community at the same time.
Paul S. Johnson
Emsworth, Hampshire
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