CITY VIEWS: how well are the supermarkets coping with the recession?
ORRAINE NAYLER ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND
“I don’t really go to big supermarkets and prefer to shop in my local stores. But I think the budget supermarkets are benefiting from the downturn – the stigma attached to Aldi and Lidl is probably disappearing and people are looking beyond packaging to non-branded goods if they are cheaper.”
NICK FEWKES CB RICHARD ELLIS
“Many of the bigger supermarkets are a bit greedy – there is always a price premium on smaller stores like Tesco Metro in the City, for example. Consumers are a lot more price-conscious than they used to be and also more self-sufficient. I’ve now got my own chickens and grow my own veg.”
JAMES HUNTER VICTORY OUTREACH
“I think the big supermarkets could always do more to become more competitive, but I am generally happy with them and the special offers they have brought in over the recession. I’m personally not trading down at all because I prefer the level of customer service in bigger supermarkets.”