Walmart - Unacceptable and Unfair Competition

By now, many people will be aware that Walmart has started carrying a small selection of British groceries and candies in some of its stores. Walmart seems to have targeted locations in which there are independent British stores, like Blighty's. Furthermore, the giant American retail predator is offering some prices that are highly competitive.

I would like to apprise you of a few key facts about this situation.

• Walmart has no real interest in British products; they are using them as a lure to get more people into their stores. 

• Walmart staff have no expertise in British products. It has been reported to me that, in some stores, they are mixing Canadian and British chocolate on the same shelf!

• Walmart has chosen not to use its own Asda operation in the UK as a supplier. Instead it has selected a British importer in Canada upon whom they dump large amounts of damaged and unsold product - thus eliminating any losses from selling British products here. That is a luxury that independents like Blighty's do not enjoy.

• Walmart has cherry-picked a small selection of core products to sell. Blighty's carries hundreds of different lines, but if our core product sales suffer from unfair competition we may have to make difficult choices.

Ultimately, if Walmart forces the independents out of business there will be no more crisps, no Marks & Spencer, no British pies and meats, no potato scones, no British newspapers and magazines and probably no Christmas selection boxes or British Easter Eggs either.

If you choose to support Walmart's invasion of our business you may save a couple of bucks in the short term but lose out - big time - in the end.

I thank those of you who have already pledged your support to us and I hope others will do the same.