It's with a mixture of sadness and resignation that most people hear the news that yet another small shop may be forced to close - such as the Fun 'n' Frolic, whose lease at Crown House seems to have come to quite a sudden end.
They have planning battles of their own - and I hope they will be given permission for the base they are looking for, as their business should not be judged against the retail giants of this world.
Instead, it seems we have those masters of retail war Tesco plonking their tanks on the lawns of small retailers in Central Reading.
Not content, it seems, with two giant hypermarkets - one (which should have never been allowed) killing off small retailers on Oxford Road - nor to mention a record of selling alcohol to underage customers, nor various other corporate practises, it seems the Tesco Express franchise is trying to rear its head in Katesgrove.
It strikes me that Tesco is starting to seek a near-monopoly position on food shopping in Reading. And I don't like it. The town end of Katesgrove has many small convenience stores who do a good job catering for local people. Quite why Tesco wants them out of business, I do not know.
But if they do want a monopoly retail position, and want a store on one of the busiest junctions in Reading with no parking whatsoever for customers, in a location that can only have been chosen to drive others out of business, they're not going to get it without a fight.
Watch this space...
