>> time to debate possible consumer backlash against supermarkets
Wanted: your point of view
“Supermarkets have become too big and too powerful and people are increasingly resentful of their looming presence in our lives.” With these words, polemicist Joanna Blythman kicks off her Saturday Essay on page 32, picking up on a point made in this column last week where we asked whether the industry was seeing the start of a consumer backlash against the big chains.
I don’t for a minute think Blythman has a massive constituency. But, judging by the amount of space devoted to her book in the Daily Mail this week, I do suspect that her strident views on supermarkets are starting to resonate among the all-important British middle and chattering classes. And that should really worry those retailers at the top of this industry. As we said last week, consumer backlashes tend to start small but, like viral marketing and computer viruses, they quickly build up to an alarming crescendo.
Spookily, the moment I started writing this column, another polemical book landed with a thump on my desk. ‘Sold out. The true cost of supermarket shopping’ covers similar ground to Blythman’s better-known tome, and its arrival reminded me that many of the biggest issues of recent years started in similar fashion. First you get articles in influential, albeit fringe, publications, then there’s lots of chat on the internet, which is followed by critically acclaimed books, which spark a debate that enters the mainstream and then - bingo! We have another consumer backlash on our hands.
Far-fetched? Perhaps. But I haven’t forgotten the GM fiasco the food industry brought upon itself. I also bet the likes of McDonald’s wish they had reacted sooner to the whole Junk Food Nation debate. And wouldn’t life be so much easier for some fmcg companies if they hadn’t dismissed, out of hand, the anti-globalisation movement?
Retailers ignore at their peril the debate now raging in print, on the internet and over the airwaves. I’m surprised nobody is mounting a defence. Sure, the views of people like Blythman are extreme. But in her case, they are also well researched, well argued and well presented. And they should spark debate. If you want that debate to be sensible, then The Grocer is where it should happen. So c’mon, get in touch. Give us your thoughts on Blythman’s column - particularly if you are one of her ‘multi-tasking retail monsters’!
Wanted: your point of view
“Supermarkets have become too big and too powerful and people are increasingly resentful of their looming presence in our lives.” With these words, polemicist Joanna Blythman kicks off her Saturday Essay on page 32, picking up on a point made in this column last week where we asked whether the industry was seeing the start of a consumer backlash against the big chains.
I don’t for a minute think Blythman has a massive constituency. But, judging by the amount of space devoted to her book in the Daily Mail this week, I do suspect that her strident views on supermarkets are starting to resonate among the all-important British middle and chattering classes. And that should really worry those retailers at the top of this industry. As we said last week, consumer backlashes tend to start small but, like viral marketing and computer viruses, they quickly build up to an alarming crescendo.
Spookily, the moment I started writing this column, another polemical book landed with a thump on my desk. ‘Sold out. The true cost of supermarket shopping’ covers similar ground to Blythman’s better-known tome, and its arrival reminded me that many of the biggest issues of recent years started in similar fashion. First you get articles in influential, albeit fringe, publications, then there’s lots of chat on the internet, which is followed by critically acclaimed books, which spark a debate that enters the mainstream and then - bingo! We have another consumer backlash on our hands.
Far-fetched? Perhaps. But I haven’t forgotten the GM fiasco the food industry brought upon itself. I also bet the likes of McDonald’s wish they had reacted sooner to the whole Junk Food Nation debate. And wouldn’t life be so much easier for some fmcg companies if they hadn’t dismissed, out of hand, the anti-globalisation movement?
Retailers ignore at their peril the debate now raging in print, on the internet and over the airwaves. I’m surprised nobody is mounting a defence. Sure, the views of people like Blythman are extreme. But in her case, they are also well researched, well argued and well presented. And they should spark debate. If you want that debate to be sensible, then The Grocer is where it should happen. So c’mon, get in touch. Give us your thoughts on Blythman’s column - particularly if you are one of her ‘multi-tasking retail monsters’!
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