Speech: Campaign against Tesco Express in Bakewell

Good evening, everyone, thank you for having me here tonight. as some of you might know, I led a

successful campaign in Herne to stop Tesco from changing our local pub into an Express store.

When I heard about Tesco’s plans for the royal oak, I felt like I needed to help. This is about more

than a building, it’s the local pub that has always been there and needs to stay there. I’m here to

help and share what I learned in Herne and to stop Tesco from ruining this town. If we could stop

them in Herne, so can Bakewell.

Let’s start by looking at why Tesco is so interested in pubs A lot of pubs have been converted into

convenience stores like Tesco. Supermarkets see pubs as prime targets because they are an easy

target. They can often convert a pub into a retail outlet without needing full planning permission.

Also, if the store’s floor space is under 280 square meters, they can bypass Sunday trading laws,

allowing them to stay open all hours of the day. Sadly, the decline of the pub industry helps retailers

like Tesco a lot. Around 15 pubs shut down every week. That’s why it’s a very good opportunity