Projects / Action Areas

The Supermarket Question

Helensburgh does not have a large supermarket.  The Co-op and Tesco Metro stores trade well but are essentially basket trade operations.  The public inquiry into the application to develop a supermarket at the pier head showed that the town has ample capacity to justify a large food store.

The Co-op	Tesco Metro

In April 2007, the Partnership commissioned Colliers CRE to carry out a Retail Study of Helensburgh.  This included a Household Survey of some 700 residents and the results indicated that Helensburgh is leaking about 50% of convenience food shopping expenditure.  Much of this is going to superstores in Dumbarton.

Clearly expenditure leakage of this magnitude is costing the town centre in terms of visits and footfall.  Stemming and reversing retail leakage is an important objective.

There is a challenge relating to physical capacity.  A large supermarket based on trolley/car trade would require a large car park.  An edge-of-town supermarket would have a massive negative impact on the town centre.  If permission for a large food store is to be granted, it should only be for a town centre site.  The only option seems to be to assemble a site in the Town Centre East area.