Sir; Further to your brilliant article (The Grocer, August 23) on the positive impact of retail development I would be interested in an article about the impact on a community of a supermarket closing.

Last September Sir Ken Morrison dealt the community of Darnall, Sheffield, a big blow, announcing he was planning to close the Morrisons’ store.

He said a new store would be built this year at Catcliffe to replace the old one.

A letter to staff from joint md Bob Stott said: “Darnall is unable to provide the shopping public with many of the features which our present day stores can offer.”

Morrisons opened in Darnall in 1984, with no other competition. Asda moved into an outlying area and on August 4 reopened an improved store.

But that store is too far away for most of the Darnall community who are mainly elderly and without cars. They are basket shoppers, shopping two or three times a week.

Now on October 12, 2003, Darnall will lose its only food retailer.

For on October 13, Sir Ken and his company will open their replacement store at Catcliffe, which will be inaccessible to shoppers and prospective employees without cars because there is no direct bus service from the Darnall area.