At the very last minute as online consultation into the new Aldi store in Rye closed, Jempson’s finally revealed what it thought of a potential supermarket rival. The local firm says the loss of trade to its Rye store would mean lost trade elsewhere in the town.
Peacock and Smith, the planning consultants representing Jempson’s, lodged a “holding objection” with planners at Rother District Council on Friday August 9 – the final day of the two-month consultation.
The letter, which was made public three days later when it was uploaded to the council’s planning portal, is short on detail.
The Leeds-based firm say they are representing Jempson’s and partners, Morrisons, in objecting to the plans. “Our clients have significant concerns about the development, specifically, the adverse retail impact the proposal would have on Rye town centre…Jempson’s operates a town centre store that anchors the town centre and loss of trade to this store is likely to result in loss of trade to the wider town centre.”
The letter goes on to say that further comments will be provided “in due course and no later that Friday 23rd August 2024.” Two weeks after the official online consultation closed.
You can read the full letter here.
The plans for a new Aldi supermarket on Winchelsea Road are part of wider development plans for the site, including homes and retirement housing. The vast majority of the comments received by Rother District Council are in favour of the new store, with many citing competition and food prices as reasons to give the plans approval. The retirement housing is receiving less support.
The developers plans are likely to be discussed at Rother’s planning committee meeting on Thursday September 5. A decision now seems unlikely after, as we revealed last week, National Highways objected to the developer’s plans for access to the site recommending a two-month delay for the correct traffic statistics measures to be used.
East Sussex County Council has now also said it cannot provide a full response to the developer’s proposals until modelling on the traffic plans has been agreed by National Highways. ESCC also says it is seeking a contribution towards bus services as part of the application.
A spokesperson for Aldi gave Rye News this statement. “Rye does not currently have a large, mainstream supermarket, and we know from our consultation that many local people currently travel some distance from Rye to shop at Aldi or elsewhere. An Aldi store in the town will help to draw more regular shoppers from the surrounding area: bringing jobs, investment and consumer choice to Rye.”
Jempson’s have been approached for comment.
Image Credits: James Stewart , Peacock and Smith , David Worwood .
Peacock and Smith are not lawyers but planning consultants. As yet, the Rother website shows no sign of the full response by Jempsons who you might have expected to be the first to respond, not the last.
This comments section is going to be full in no time at all.
How can Jempson Supermarkets make objections to a bit of healthy competition being introduced to Rye.
Currently we travel, on average 12 miles each way, to Ashford or Hastings to do our weekly grocery shop. In doing so, we usually find a place to have a coffee in town and maybe do some other shopping at the same time.
Even with the cost of travel, we still make a saving on shopping in Rye.
Tenterden and Hawkhurst both have a Tesco and Waitrose.
From what I can see, other businesses in these towns benefit from them being there and they open on a Sunday.
Jempson could stock some items that Aldi don’t, and people will still use them. Some will still use them anyway as they do at their Peasmarsh branch.
More locals will come to Rye and support other Rye businesses.
There is always going to be planning issues with this sort of development and there will be negative speculation on every quarter.
If the developers consider dropping the application for the retirement home, there would be more room for a larger car park, and hopefully help Highways with their concerns.
Lets bring a future to Rye.
The arrival of a German supermarket will result in Jempsons closure. Even with their deal with Morrisons they still won’t be able to compete. Jempsons is a local success story and has happened through sheer determination, but they will not survive as an independent.
Quite frankly Jempsons have mostly been, let’s put it nicely, “uncompetitive” in their pricing, driving the buyers who can, away from Rye. Meanwhile the ones who can’t travel have been stuck with paying more.
I’m sure that Jempsons will survive in Rye, they may have to re think their business plan a tad, and there will still be plenty of customers who will not be prepared to stoop so low as to shop in Aldi.
After all, Waitrose lives alongside Tescos in Tenterden and Hawkhurst .
May be if they think it would result in them having to close down, they should sell the site to Aldi or Lidl and save them the cost of having to develop a new site.
Stoop so low? I didn’t know there was a snobbery element to food shopping?
I can understand why Jempsons might well object to losing their monopoly situation which has existed since 2014. Aldi offer a limited range at a very competitive rate. Jempsons have a wider range and although they may have formed a partnership with Morrison last year to offer some basic items they do not have a reputation for being price competitive. Jempsons claim that the rest of Rye traders will suffer if another supermarket is allowed in. Yet Rye has had to put up with the fact that Jempson are closed on a Sunday and the nearest alternative store at Peasmarsh also owned by Jempsons has continued this practise ever since it converted into a large foodstore many decades ago. Forgive me if I am being cynical but I do not believe that Jempsons have ever considered Rye but have done what suits them even taking into account their alleged religious scruples. We now live in a seven day a week retail society. A tourist new to Rye must be confused to discover that the only supermarket is closed on a Sunday.
Rye will benefit with competition and it will help to limit car mileage which is part of the net zero target as presented at the end last weeks Rye news article. I pointed out in my letter
last week that technology can help to overcome Highways concern about any additional traffic on the A259 Winchelsea road wishing to used Aldi. Pensioners and families with a limited budget will only be too pleased at long last to have a choice.
So Jempsons are objecting to Aldi locating to Rye, as it would have an adverse effect on Rye town Centre, ” what Nonesence next will they come up with”, this is really is a poor excuse and hopefully Rother planners will see through this monopoly, and allow pending the access improvements, this Aldi Store, that is plain to see the majority wish for in Rye.
I think Jempsons are getting a bit above themselves if they think they are the anchor of the town. There are plenty of shops in the town that already draw people in. Plus, tourists visit to see and enjoy Rye as a place, I can’t imagine the main reason of travelling to Rye is to shop in Jempsons and pay over the odds for the pleasure. Hurry up Aldi!
I believe in the old adage, if a company is providing what their customers need and at reasonable costs, there is no fear of competition.
It’s high time that Rye was allowed to enter the 21st Century. I cannot believe that it is right for one supermarket i.e. Jempson’s to hold a monopoly in the town. It defies freedom of the market principles and it is simply not right! The local public have spoken and in the main want to see the Aldi Supermarket located in Rye. This wish should override any objection made by Jempson’s who are simply profiteering!
Jempson’s comments are ridiculous and very dog in the manger. Another supermarket can only bring more people in to the town, particularly those who currently travel to other supermarkets that are further away. Sunday opening is definitely needed in a tourist area like Rye and even locals sometimes need to shop on a Sunday. Aldi in Rye can only be a good thing and will require Jempsons to smarten up their act and be more competitive.
I find Jempsons generally expensive, below par overpriced local produce selection, poor wine and bread selections. The Rye store simply isn’t not competitive and feels like it takes advantage of the tourist customers. It’s an emergency situation store for locals, definitely not a ‘big shop’ choice. I can’t wait for Aldi. When I moved here I was delighted to find such a family owned store. I grew up with https://www.booths.co.uk/ on our doorstep. Now Jempsons could learn an awful lot from Booths. They have stores in the Lake District and less tourist dependent towns across Lancashire.
I support Jempsons. They are truly local, they keep Sunday special and they sell good local produce as well as staples. It seems to me that they have more staff than the major supermarkets. They also have only manned checkouts, part of a community feel for us.
I do like Aldi but they will destroy Jempsons and then Rye will be just another south coast town for groceries.
Jempsons need the competition to up it’s game.
I am surprised that Morrisons have allowed their name to be added to the to the ‘Peacock Smith’ letter. Given the number one item on their ‘Strategy’ webpage states:
Be more competitive
‘To be more competitive means helping customers make every penny go further, saving them money on the everyday items they want and need.’
How’s that going to work with Jempsons then?
Monopolies are inherently undesirable since they obstruct the establishment and operation of a free market, one of mankind’s greatest discoveries. Jempson’s in Rye is a good example of what happens without the healthy competition of a free market: in this case, high prices and restricted opening hours. That Jempson’s should argue for the continuance of their position as a monopolist (‘price-giver’ in the jargon) is sad but predictable; they surely cannot expect anyone to take their nakedly self-interested objections seriously.
Sadly, though, I do not see any way in which the proposed Aldi site could be developed without placing an impossible extra burden on what is already a very constricted and congested stretch of the Winchelsea Road. If the developers really do want to provide Rye with a high quality new supermarket (as opposed, perhaps, to smuggling in new housing) then why not acquire one of the existing light industrial sites on the road running to Rye Harbour? This could be combined with installing three-way traffic lights at the junction with Winchelsea Road; sub-optimal since it would increase delays for through traffic, but perhaps marginally ‘doable’ compared with the current proposals.
Or here’s another solution: Aldi buy the existing Jempson’s store, and Jempson’s continue to ‘compete’ from the superstore (but only six days a week, of course) …..
You want the first thing that people see when they step out of the station to be an Aldi?
What about Aldi buying the old ferry road site,as it seems Plutus Rye have no interest in developing this site,let’s remember the Adelaide pub was going to be demolished to make easier access to this site,when Sainsbury’s and Tesco were squabbling over it, and 3 councils were not interested in resolving that debacle.
If they can’t solve the traffic problem on the main trunk road how are they even going to start to solve the same problem in Ferry Road?
Even I can see that having a super market entrance that near a railway crossing is going to raise a raft of objections.
The attraction of an Aldi store in Rye for an OAP like me (apart from cheaper prices) is that it can be reached on foot without relying on public transport. It’s “walkable.” I am also disappointed in the joining of Jempsons with Morrisons – all too often items I have always been able to buy before this “marriage” are no longer available, and I mean everyday items, nothing exotic. The partnership with the Co-Op was much better.
The simple cost effective solution for all parties, including the consumer, would be for Jempsons to sell out to Aldi – perhaps that is part of the objection strategy ?
I lived in Rye for 10 years and never once did a full shop in Jempsons. I drove to Ore, Hastings or Tenterden for a decent competitive shopping experience. I used Jempsons for the Post Office and the very occasional convenience shop. Did Jempsons have any though for the local dry cleaners when they installed their outdoor washing machines. I don’t think so. It’s about time Rye had a decent competitive supermarket rather than an outdated expensive white elephant that is closed on Sunday’s making it even less desirable.
Rye needs to broaden their horizons; & provide services the public. By having local Aldi ; will help for carbon emissions, & pollution. People won’t need to travel miles to do food shop . Society needs choices ‼️‼️