FAMILIES, politicians, lecturers and students are to hold a rally outside a Tesco superstore over plans to close the shop considered to be a hub of the community.

 

Hundreds attended a public meeting in Kirkcaldy over the move to close the Fife town's Tesco store as part of a round of cuts that will mean the closure of dozens of shops around the UK.

Many more are expected to join the Valentine's Day rally next Saturday while leafleting and other campaigning continues in the town today in an unprecedented local surge to save the store.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is among those to push for a stay of execution for the store which is a major employer in the town.

Councillor Tom Adams works at the store on the night shift, his wife Karen is a checkout manager and their daughter Leanne works at the attached Post Office.

He said the impact would be devastating: "It is quite a family orientated workforce.

"We didn't expect to hear that the shop's closing.

"The environment in the shop is not good. People don't know what they are going to do.

"I'll be ok but it is my wife and daughter's jobs. My wife has worked here for 25 years."

He added: "I am not urging anyone to boycott Tesco as that would affect other people's jobs, but we are going to fight this closure.

"I will be there next Saturday and will be down at 10am this week."

The store on Hunter Street is one of four in Scotland to close, putting more than 320 jobs at risk. The others are in Edinburgh, Grangemouth, and Troon.

However, rescue talks that could save the 189 jobs are ongoing and Kirkcaldy MP Mr Brown has met constituents worried about the impact of the closure, planned for April 4.

Residents say that the store is a hub for the community and with many other shops already empty, its closure would have a grave impact on the town centre.

Mr Brown said: "With just eight weeks to change their mind I am acting quickly with a proposal to Tesco.

"Kirkcaldy has been good to Tesco. Now it's time for Tesco to be good to Kirkcaldy.

"The plan the council will offer to Tesco will be more detailed but I think already we see scope to persuade Tesco to lift the threat of execution."

High cost of rates and rents, thought to total nearly £1.5 million, were cited as being part of the problem but this was not confirmed by Tesco.

Fife Council is hosting the rally in conjunction with staff and students from Fife College outside the Town House in Kirkcaldy to support the local community in their bid to keep the Tesco store open.

Councillors from across all parties are calling on local people to join with them to show the retail giants that their local supermarket is "more than just a store".

The move follows an unprecedented turnout to a public meeting last Monday night where local residents and businesses expressed their concern at the potential closure of the supermarket and the impact this could have on the town centre.

Although the opening of some Tesco stores have met protests amid fears of the potential impact of the retail giant on local businesses, residents in Kirkcaldy believe the Tesco store has become a vital community hub and its closure would be devastating for the area.

David Ross, leader of Fife Council, said: "We understand the difficulties Tesco are facing but we need them to understand that, for Kirkcaldy, Tesco isn't just another supermarket, it is a town centre hub for many of our most vulnerable citizens.

"The town centre location and proximity to the bus station, along with the café and the Post Office mean it is easily accessible to those reliant on public transport. It also provides a focus and a meeting point for many people.

"We are supporting this gathering to help the local population make their voices heard and to show Tesco the strength of feeling there is in the town. We want them to work with us to try to find a solution which benefits everyone."

Mr Ross has written again to Tesco Chief Executive Dave Lewis, setting out a package of measures which could assist in keeping the store open.

In an earlier statement Dave Lewis, Tesco's chief executive, said the firm's "performance as a business has fallen significantly short of where we would want it to be and that to protect the future of the business in the UK we would close 43 unprofitable stores".

"The decision to close the (Kirkcaldy) store has been exceptionally difficult to take."