Sir,

It was with astonishment that I read Mr. Wilson's letter regarding the proposed Narberth Co-op. At first sight it appears to be simply ill-informed; however, bearing in mind that the facts were presented to Mr. Wilson at a recent public meeting and yet the only consistent aspect of his letter is that he got all of his information wrong, it becomes apparent that he is presenting prejudice rather than fact.

His claim that my store, the High Street Spar, 'brings the town to a halt with each and every delivery' is ridiculous. It is common knowledge that all of my main deliveries arrive so early that it is rare for most people to see a Spar lorry delivering in Narberth. We insisted on this many years ago specifically to avoid adding to the congestion from which Narberth suffers; we don't expect any particular recognition for having done this, but we hardly expect to be attacked for not doing it!

He says that it is nonsense that Spar and Costcutter are 'champions of the little guy', comparing the size of Spar as an organisation with that of the Co-op, and saying that 'Costcutter is no kind of a local shop'. But he is aware that the Co-op is a large supermarket chain, whereas Spar and Costcutter are a series of small, independently owned shops that source some, but not all, of their stock from their main wholesalers; unlike supermarket chains such as the Co-op, this leaves them free to run their businesses as they choose and to use any number of local suppliers, a freedom that we make considerable use of in Narberth.

This makes a mockery of his claim that the introduction of a Co-op into Narberth would not affect the air miles position. Mr. Wilson has been offered a tour of my store to show him the local produce that we stock; although he has accepted the offer, he has yet to make that visit.

It is impossible to understand his disparaging view of Costcutter. This is a store run by a local family, employing local people and supporting many local suppliers; it is exactly what a local shop should be.

Apparently Spar and Costcutter put their share of others out of business when they came to Narberth. Again Mr. Wilson is aware of the facts: both of these stores have been established for over 40 years, were the original small stores of the town and have grown gradually over a long period of time.

We are told that the Co-op would not threaten any businesses other than Spar and Costcutter and would bring improvements to the traffic situation. Anyone who has seen the result of a supermarket opening on the edge of a small town will know that there is an inevitable diversion of trade from the town centre that affects all businesses situated there. How the introduction of supermarket traffic onto the frequently gridlocked one-way system around Narberth would improve the traffic situation is difficult to see!

The most outrageous claim, however, is that 'the Co-op would provide proper jobs rather than the casual positions currently available'. Unlike the short term contracts and part-time jobs that large organisations are known to favour, my store employs a large number of full-time staff, many of whom have worked in the store for a very long time, in fact up to 28 years. It is arrogant and insulting to dismiss the jobs of such loyal staff as casual. The inference is that their positions are expendable in favour of 'proper' jobs at the Co-op.

What makes him think that he has the right to become a spokesman for those working in the shops of Narberth's High Street without first establishing the views of those whose jobs he has chosen to comment on?

Every one has the right to express an opinion, but they should have the decency to ensure that their opinion is based on truth. Sadly it seems that Mr. Wilson considers himself above this basic rule.

Simon Palmer,

High Street Spar,

Narberth.