Green Party Councillors in Ringmer, near Lewes, have taken the unusual step of writing to Morrisons CEO to ask them to up their game in what they say is a poorly served village Morrisons Daily (formerly McColls).
Ringmer is seeing an ongoing increase in population due to housing development and councillors argue the shop is vital for a thriving village life. They say the convenience store is consistently low on essentials, broken chillers have not been fixed, and the Post Office is often understaffed.
After hearing from a number of residents who had complained about a poor range of basic food items versus plentiful alcoholic drinks, sweets, and tobacco products, local councillors, Johnny Denis, Lucy Agace and Emily O’Brien have written to the chief executive of Morrisons, Rami Baitéh.
Cllr Johnny Denis said, “Residents have been getting more and more upset and angry with the decline over recent years of their local shop and Post Office. We’re aware shops have their own challenges too, but we’re asking Morrisons’ boss to improve their offer. With so many people reliant on the shop, especially those without cars, Morrisons could thrive in this location.
“I think people are just fed up with the decline” added Cllr Lucy Agace, “The failure to get the basics right means that more people are having to travel to Lewes to do their shop. If we want to reduce traffic and make our roads safer we must reduce the need to travel and an inadequate shop for thousands of people is a real problem”.
Councillor Emily O’Brien also reflected on how, when so many planning applications keep coming forward for Ringmer, “We really need properly functioning shops in Ringmer, so we can buy what we need within a short walk from our home.”
The councillors argue that nearby villages like Ripe or Laughton have successful community owned shops, with a far greater range and quality, and that other convenience stores including other branches of Morrisons Daily offer far greater choice.
Councillors Johnny Denis, Emily O’Brien and Lucy Agace at Morrisons Daily in Ringmer