The town made famous by the Yorkshire comedy is divided over the retail giant's proposals for an out-of-town supermarketIn Britain's longest running comedy show, Last of the Summer Wine, life in the picturesque Yorkshire town of Holmfirth revolved around lost ferrets and wrinkled stockings.But the nostalgic comedy has been replaced by a gritty modern drama as locals fight over Tesco's plans to build a superstore it is feared could put one of the country's oldest independent retail co-operatives out of business.Mark Lewis, chairman of the Wooldale Co-Operative Society, founded in 1886, said that last year the group made a "tiny" profit out its three stores which were an important community service. "Our role is to keep the village's heart beating," said Lewis. "It is very difficult to see how we could survive this."With its honey-coloured sandstone buildings and narrow cobbled streets, Holmfirth is a must for visitors to the Peak District. Tourism brings coachloads of Last of the Summer Wine fans and is one of the reasons why it still has a bustling high street complete with butcher, baker and greengrocer.It is Tesco's second go at getting approval for a store in Holmfirth as a previous planning application for an even larger store was withdrawn in the face of fierce opposition two years ago. The retailer's renewed ambitions have split the community with an angry debate raging in the letters page of the local Huddersfield Examiner. On one side is "Keep Holmfirth Special" whose campaigners argue planting a supermarket on the town's outskirts will destroy the fabric of the community.The other, equally vociferous, group "Holme Valley Voices" argues residents, many of whom commute to work in cities such as Manchester, already drive elsewhere to buy their groceries.Tesco has been pulling out the stops to woo locals and, to the horror of some, recently sought the vicar's permission to mingle with the congregation during the ritual post-Sunday service coffee. The retail giant also funded a mailshot by the pro-store group. Holmfirth's only supermarket of any size is one owned by the large Co-operative Group. Lewis says Wooldale lost 20% of its turnover when the rival Co-op opened. If Tesco were to land a similar blow, it might have to rely on volunteers to stay in business.Tesco predicts the new store will have annual sales of �26m compared with Wooldale's takings of �2m. The latter has resisted folding into the larger Co-op group ? as other societies have done ? as a means of survival because "they haven't got a good track record of keeping mall village stores open", explained Lewis.The cameras stopped rolling on Last of the Summer Wine two years ago and the town has sought to move on with music and arts events. There are also other signs of progress. Planners have already given the go ahead to a branch of Lidl, which has been met with more enthusiasm as it is on a smaller scale.Tensions in Holmfirth come amid a growing debate around the future of the UK's high street, where one in seven shops now lies empty. There has been a similar row recently in Hay-on-Wye over a supermarket development. Last year a government-sponsored review by retail expert Mary Portas concluded the situation had reached "crisis point".Expansion of the major grocers is considered one of the biggest factors behind the decline of high streets, with the country's 8,000 supermarkets now accounting for 97% of grocery sales and a growing percentage of non-food sales.Tesco admits the store would suck nearly �3.6m of business out of the town centre. Most of that would come from the main Co-op store but some �340,000 would disappear from the small businesses nearby. Tesco, however, concludes the store would not have a "significant adverse" impact on the town centre.The recession and internet shopping means major supermarkets are being forced to fight harder than ever for custom. At the same time large out-of-town stores are proving less of a magnet to consumers. This industry tension saw Tesco's UK head Richard Brasher sensationally quit the business last week after a row over how to revive flagging sales."It seems that the strategic thinking in a number of supermarkets is that building big out-of-town sheds is not the way forward now, yet the machine is ploughing on with planning applications," said Holmfirth campaigner Margaret Dale.A spokesman for Tesco said: "Holmfirth is a vibrant town but many families still travel to Huddersfield and elsewhere to get their weekly shop. They tell us a new Tesco would be a real boost, saving them time by helping them shop closer to home."TescoSupermarketsYorkshireUnited KingdomEuropeComedyRetail industryCo-operative GroupZoe Woodguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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