Family-run store fears shop closure if Aldi approved

A family-run supermarket in East Sussex fears it would lose millions of pounds in trade and be forced to close a store if an Aldi is approved nearby.

Jempson's estimates it will lose £5.6m in turnover by 2027, which could make its supermarket in Station Approach, Rye unviable.

The supermarket, which first opened in 1935, said fewer people would use its two-hour car park which could also lead to a “significant decline” in people visiting other shops in the town.

Aldi said it helped “drive footfall” into towns and added “competition has got to be a good thing for consumers”.

The proposed site for the new Aldi is in Winchelsea Road, according to documents put forward to Rother District Council as part of a planning application.

Stephen Jempson, managing director of Jempson's, told BBC Radio Sussex: “The impact on the town centre of the additional services we provide could well be significant.

"Rye only has one bank which is only open three days a week, so everything is done in the post office. We provide the post office which is open 90 hours a week."

A letter of objection to the Aldi application from Jempson's and its partner Morrisons said: “The proposal is in conflict with national and local planning policy, as it proposes a significant amount of out-of-centre retail floorspace at a location outside the town that will have a significantly adverse impact on the vitality and viability of Rye town centre.”

It also said the Aldi store would serve as a “stand-alone, car based development, drawing activity away from the town centre”.

Jempson's also has a superstore in Peasmarsh, as well as convenience stores and cafes in Battle, Bexhill, Northiam, Paddock Wood, South Chailey and Wadhurst.

Some residents in Rye told BBC Radio Sussex that Jempson's has a “monopoly” in the town and welcomed the idea of having more options for shopping locally.

Tony Bond said: “For me as a consumer an Aldi would be good, Jempson's would notice a big difference. If there was an Aldi 100 metres away, I’d go there first.”

Kian Davie said: “I think everyone would go to Aldi for their food shop but people would still come to Jempson's for their daily necessities.”

Richard Thornton, director of communications for Aldi, said: “What we tend to find when we enter into a new location is that actually Aldi contributes really positively to other surrounding local businesses.

"Aldi is a discount supermarket and offers the lowest priced groceries in the UK. We do that by being really efficient but what it means is we don’t have some of the peripheral services that you might find in a more expensive supermarket. Things like a deli counter.”

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