Supply – a time bomb
Our editorial looks at the 'suffocating hand of the present wholesale system'.
Written by Alison Prince
Thursday, 26 February 2009
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The indignation over the hike in petrol prices at Arran’s pumps this week highlights an even larger question about the way essential goods are supplied to the island. We at The Voice recently drew attention to the fact that the number of pubs on the island is dwindling, and while we do not in any way seek to endorse the ‘drinking culture’, we do feel that village pubs have tremendous value. They provide a warm, informal place where people can meet and talk, play darts and pool, relax and enjoy each other’s company. When they close their doors for the last time, as has happened sadly often in recent years, they leave an emptiness that is hard to fill. Our village shops are equally vital. Without them, we are all threatened with the spectre of a life that is no more than dormitory dwelling, with no natural, non-organised meeting places. The ancient Greek concept of the agora, the market place where all activity is centred, lives on — but only just. It is coming under serious threat, and one of the main causes
is the increasing cost of the supply chain.
A small shopkeeper pointed out recently that she could buy goods more cheaply in a mainland supermarket than she could through her wholesalers. The same thing is true for publicans, who look at the price of beer and non-alcoholic drinks in the Co-op and curse the fact that they have to pay more than that through their suppliers. Anyone who has undertaken large-scale DIY such as house-building or conversion knows very well that a lorry-load ordered direct from the mainland will cost far less than the same materials bought through our own builders’ suppliers. There is no question of anyone making unreasonable profit — the problem is squarely rooted in the economics of wholesale supply to remote areas. Our relatively small populations have no appeal to big concerns. BT has said that providing cable for a decently fast broadband service to remote villages is not ‘economically viable’. Shell pulled out of supplying petrol to Arran for the same reason. Scottish Fuels in turn is feeling the pressure, and is seeking to keep up its profitability by imposing what surcharges it chooses to.
We are looking at something of a time-bomb. Within a decade, one retailer predicted, the entire supply chain would be in the hands of one or perhaps two of the biggest and cheapest supermarkets. While the push to market Arran’s charms and encourage larger enterprises continues, we need to look, too, at the multitude of small businesses that make this island what it is. We are going to need a strong degree of co-operation and perhaps unorthodox planning if Arran is to retain its unique appeal and its robust, entrepreneurial independence. It may be time, right now, to think in terms of a shared approach to the supply question, and some way to avoid the suffocating hand of the present wholesale system.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
1 view 0 commentsThe indignation over the hike in petrol prices at Arran’s pumps this week highlights an even larger question about the way essential goods are supplied to the island. We at The Voice recently drew attention to the fact that the number of pubs on the island is dwindling, and while we do not in any way seek to endorse the ‘drinking culture’, we do feel that village pubs have tremendous value. They provide a warm, informal place where people can meet and talk, play darts and pool, relax and enjoy each other’s company. When they close their doors for the last time, as has happened sadly often in recent years, they leave an emptiness that is hard to fill. Our village shops are equally vital. Without them, we are all threatened with the spectre of a life that is no more than dormitory dwelling, with no natural, non-organised meeting places. The ancient Greek concept of the agora, the market place where all activity is centred, lives on — but only just. It is coming under serious threat, and one of the main causes
is the increasing cost of the supply chain.
A small shopkeeper pointed out recently that she could buy goods more cheaply in a mainland supermarket than she could through her wholesalers. The same thing is true for publicans, who look at the price of beer and non-alcoholic drinks in the Co-op and curse the fact that they have to pay more than that through their suppliers. Anyone who has undertaken large-scale DIY such as house-building or conversion knows very well that a lorry-load ordered direct from the mainland will cost far less than the same materials bought through our own builders’ suppliers. There is no question of anyone making unreasonable profit — the problem is squarely rooted in the economics of wholesale supply to remote areas. Our relatively small populations have no appeal to big concerns. BT has said that providing cable for a decently fast broadband service to remote villages is not ‘economically viable’. Shell pulled out of supplying petrol to Arran for the same reason. Scottish Fuels in turn is feeling the pressure, and is seeking to keep up its profitability by imposing what surcharges it chooses to.
We are looking at something of a time-bomb. Within a decade, one retailer predicted, the entire supply chain would be in the hands of one or perhaps two of the biggest and cheapest supermarkets. While the push to market Arran’s charms and encourage larger enterprises continues, we need to look, too, at the multitude of small businesses that make this island what it is. We are going to need a strong degree of co-operation and perhaps unorthodox planning if Arran is to retain its unique appeal and its robust, entrepreneurial independence. It may be time, right now, to think in terms of a shared approach to the supply question, and some way to avoid the suffocating hand of the present wholesale system.
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