Somerfield - Lordship Lane

[macroban]

Be careful what you wish for.

[Shu.Kurimu.Sensei]

Somerfield are a rip off though, about a third of their "special offers" don't ever seem to show up on the till, plus their prices seem to be on average a good third higher than in their Camberwell store. After the refurb, they lost almost all their original staff too, which was a damn shame. Only been to Waitroses once and they were really expensive but had some interesting stuff on sale.

I hope Somerfield cleans up its act on its pricing and sends its management on a food safety course. What a tragedy the fresh fish counter disappeared to be replaced by spit roast chickens.

[kford]

Somerfield = expensive and crap.

Waitrose = expensive and good.

Hmm...

[zephyr]

I would like the ED Somerfield to become a Waitrose. I know they are expensive but they do stock a few products which are ard to get elsewhere - 'Guinness' Marmite being one - yum!

[KalamityKel]

Xpensive compared to what? At least the ED Somerfield provides better quality products than the ED Sainsbury's rubbish. Sorry tis all IMHO as I assume your views r :P

[Michael Palaeologus]

Waitrose would be good - you can buy most of the stuff in Somerfield cheaper elsewhere on LL or surrounding areas, Waitrose would add some value to the Lane.

[nutty]

Details of the sale are thought to have been sent to every player in the market, including Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Aldi, Lidl and the Co-op.

hmm - not sure all of these would go down well in ED :)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Yay - a Lidl in ED!

[Asset]

Well, out of a choice of those I would definitely vote for Waitrose. It's part of the John Lewis Partnership, which is my favourite shop and in my limited experience of Waitrose their stuff is of very good quality and not really much more expensive than other supermarkets. I occasionally get stuff through Ocado and tend to spend less on a week's shop than I do when I go to Sainsbos; obviously there is less impulse purchasing but the prices compare pretty well.

KK - "At least the ED Somerfield provides better quality products than the ED Sainsbury's rubbish." Can you give me some examples please? My experience of Somerfields is not the case.

[Michael Palaeologus]

If I want really cheap supey stuff I go to Asda on the Old Kent Road.

[SeanMacGabhann]

my aversion to supermarkets is well documented, but if I have to use one then I prefer the scale of the Somerfield on LL

Who actually occupies the space I'm less bothered by - can't see Somefield doing that worse a job than anyone else. I have a soft spot for Waitrose, just from the perspective of a more intersting selction of things as well as a better record on supplier treatment

[KalamityKel]

I'm not saying Somerfield is the best to shop in just given the options from the "chains" in ED I prefer, for a quick shop, (not meaning the queues) to go there.

The bread stays fresher longer than does the Sainsburys bread which only usually lasts a day before the staleness sets in, the fruit and veg also (in my experience) last long and for fresh meat etc the dates are better.

Granted the special offers, for want a better word, "suck" where you can better deals elsewhere but as I said for a quick shop I wouldn't necessarily be looking for any special offers.

A proper Tesco or Asda would be a merry replacement for the shop. :))

[barrymarshall]

Interesting - Robert Tchenguiz also owns a substantial number of Sainsbury's shares and was keen to flog off Sainsbury's supermarkets, in a planned move with the Qatar government, but that bid failed. Maybe this one too.

Edited to Add: I find Somerfield a complete rip-off. Tons of stuff in there is really expensive, such as loaves of bread (just your standard sliced stuff) at ?1.85, butter at nearly ?2 per tub and my favourite chocolate biscuits (the Tunnock's caramel wafers and teackes) are more expensive than at Sainsbury's, where you get a bigger pack. I avoid it unless I have no other choice.

[Cassius]

Please no - anything but Tesco or Asda.

[KalamityKel]

I meant for value for money Cass :p

[Cassius]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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> I meant for value for money Cass :p

Then I'd rather have Lidl or Aldi - at least their products can be differentiated from Sainsburys.

[KalamityKel]

I've never in either establishment so I wouldn't know. But fair point :)

[Brendan]

What about splitting it in two and making half a Pret and the other half a Pitcher and Piano? That way the Foxton?s employee?s across the road will have somewhere to get lunch and to compare the size of their w? Sorry I mean have a drink in the evenings.

[KalamityKel]

:o Brendan! Wot about the girlies who work for them... wot would they compare? shades of lipstick? What the best brand of peroxide? ;-) yeah yeah I know twas a terrible stereotyping. It was the squeaky voice in me head that made me do it!

[barrymarshall]

Yup - I think this deal, on balance, is a no-goer. Research from JP Morgan points out that the chain is probably worth less than is being claimed and that sales are overall not so impressive when taken out of a Christmas seasonal context. That and most of their retail locations are "lower quality" than what a Waitrose would want. Waitrose say they're interested, but would only want to pick the choicest locations (obviously ED would be one) but putting together that kind of package would be more difficult than selling the lot en bloc.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7d63a56-c54b-11dc-811a-0000779fd2ac.html

[Brendan]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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> :o Brendan! Wot about the girlies who work for

> them... wot would they compare? shades of

> lipstick? What the best brand of peroxide? ;-)

> yeah yeah I know twas a terrible stereotyping. It

> was the squeaky voice in me head that made me do

> it!

I was going to say wage packet ;-)

[KalamityKel]

Oh, a different kind of figure then... :p

[SimonM]

I would have thought the ED Somerfield would be too small a site too attract the interest of Waitrose?

[MadWorld74]

Waitrose.......yes pleeeeese

[barrymarshall]

Is Somerfield "the new" Iceland?

That is, are wer now going to get endless speculation and rumours that Somerfield is to become a Waitrose, just like for years people have been saying that Iceland is to become one of those overpriced M&S "foodhalls"?