LETTER: supermarket's alone won't revitalise town centres

THERE is a certain irony in supermarkets moving back into small outlets. It was they who first enticed shoppers to revel in the joys of larger stores. Now, having wiped out most of the opposition, they can clean up on the independent stores.

The crucial issue is market share. In some regions the chains are near or over the UK definition of a monopoly - 25 per cent of market share. The incapacity or unwillingness of the Office of Fair Trading and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to deal with this concentration at a local level is the real cause for alarm.

Professor Tim Lang

Centre for Food Policy

Thames Valley University

Hugh Raven

SAFE Alliance