Our communities are being destroyed

From 1995 to 2000, we lost roughly 20% of our local shops and services (including post offices, banks, butchers and grocers).

From 1997 to 2002, approximately 50 specialist shops went out of business every WEEK.

In 1960, small independent retailers sold over 60% of our groceries.

By 2002, they sold only 6%.

Some superstores make a profit of 198% on apples and 439% on eggs - by exploiting their suppliers brutally.

We will end up with less choice and worse quality

If you tried to spend the next month without shopping in a superstore, how easy would it be?

If you're like most people, it's already genuinely difficult for you to find local grocery shops that aren't owned by a chain store. So, how much choice is that? You can give your money to a company that takes it out of your community, or you can give your money to a company that takes it out of your community.

What's more, superstores are well known for getting the cheapest goods they can, and for pushing prices up the moment they know that they've killed off any local competition. Wal-Mart, who now own ASDA, are infamous in America for increasing their prices as soon as they've taken control of a local economy.

If you want to find out more about the damage that superstores do, click here for a list of further reading.

Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Safeways - they want your MONEY.

But where do YOU want your money? Do you want it supporting local clubs and charities, helping provide decent jobs for local people, contributing to local shows and events, and helping keep your community vibrant and successful?

Or are you happy to stuff it into the pockets of a few insanely wealthy companies from far away, and never see it again?

Superstores aren't shops - they're just a cleverly disguised trick to rob your community.

They arrive out of nowhere, like a giant suction tube, and they hoover up all the money they can get out of your home town.

If the money ever dries up, they cut their losses and shut up shop.

If that happens after they've killed off all the local competition, it leaves YOU with NOTHING.

This MUST be stopped

Cymuned is a housing and communities pressure group which also supports the Welsh language.

We are calling on your Council to refuse planning permission to grocery and retail developments that are not owned by someone who lives in your county.

It's time to ditch the idea that 'pile them high and sell them cheap' is more important than decent quality jobs for local people.

It's time to call a halt to putting the superstore's hunger for money ahead of the needs of local people.

It's time to stop our towns and villages being bled dry.