The Butcher, The Baker & Candlestick Maker To Call For

When I first saw the news that high street retailers were to call for a tax on online business I did envision old world high street businesses like your local Butcher & Baker down at number 10 with the cleaver and rolling pin going 10 rounds with George & Dave but they have pretty much gone haven`t they? Strangely swallowed up or put out of business by the likes of the big supermarkets whose Lord over all they survey bosses such as Justin King are at the forefront of rattling the George versus the Dragon sabre(though I don`t think his "fellow traders" are eating as profitably as Mr King with his 23% pay rise last week taking his rumeneration to £4.3m).

King called for a level playing field or risk seeing the high street shrink even further. I don`t know about your local shops but as I go from run down block to glass fronted shopping centre with dodgy monuments or supposedly inspiring tropical plants. They are full of the same shops that are part of a chain or a franchise. I wonder if they really want to compete with the wide variety of online businesses firing out amazing products from across the world at competive prices or if they really want to continue living this fairy tale they like to present of being the little man in the high street.

King continued his diatribe with "In the US you have seen a very significant change from the debate starting, to real action being taken by politicians and I would hope and expect that we will see a similar track here. The debate has started and I think in the last six months or so there is a realisation that there is going to need to be a change and I would hope quite quickly we will see our politicians engage on this issue."

Rounding off with "For every pound that we have saved [when corporation tax was cut] we have paid around £2.50 extra in other taxes, primarily business rates. If the tax burden falls ever more heavily only on those businesses that have real presence that is something that has to be addressed."

In the last quarter Sainsburys alone opened 19 new convenience stores not to mention the other supermarket giants. In some areas there is a supermarket on every corner I believe(That is a big corner shop needing government protection is it not?).

Even with the horsemeat scandal(no that was not a fairytale people) Tesco the Uks biggest supermarket(or is that biggest high street shop?) sales only dropped 1%. As a contrast online sales were up 16% compared to 20% for convenience stores year on year.

Take a look online people and you will see a world of one man businesses competing with the giants of ecommerce and winning then take a look online at your local shop(if you still have one that isnt a supermarket express) and its position in the ranks of the so called high street

I have read this fairy tale to the end people and have to say the story of the high street shows us that the so called high street of chains and supermarkets are really the dragon in disguise and the online businesses are good old St George in comparison.