Newcastle Traders Warning Over Supermarket Increase

Traders in Newcastle say they are being squeezed out of business by a growing number of inner city supermarkets.

We've been speaking to some local traders who say they're worried they could lose their livelihoods as more supermarkets are being brought in to appeal to a growing student population.

Small business owners like Terence, who has run a greengrocer stall in the city centre for 50 years.

He told Metro Radio 'They have a lot of power supermarkets.So the individuals and people like me, market traders don't have a say in it really. We don't have the power they have, they say they're going to create thousands of more jobs, but they are going to put other people out of business as well'.

The concerns come after the opening of 12 food stores in the city centre in the space of 5 years.

Cllr Ged Bell, Cabinet Member for Investment and Development at Newcastle City Council told Metro Radio

“We appreciate that local traders will always have concerns when a new supermarket opens in the City Centre, but we hope the potential extra footfall will benefit their businesses as well as the local economy, and generate new jobs for local people.”