A leading charity for blind people risks turning off donors and damaging other charities due to its corporate 'Tesco-isation' according to a senior Scottish campaigner.

Meanwhile the RNIB group has been criticised over plans to transfer its Scottish staff and services to an English based charity, at a time when other charities are enhancing their operations north of the border.

Action for Blind People, which currently has no services in Scotland, is to take over the services and employees of RNIB Scotland from September, and the group has been consulting with staff over the move.

But as the Herald revealed yesterday an internal briefing revealed concerns from staff members that the move would damage fund-raising in Scotland and could undermine services.

Fiona Sandford, chief executive of the sight loss charity Visibility, told the Herald that using corporate language such as referring to the Scottish branch of the RNIB as a 'business unit' and members as 'customers' could undermine public support, describing it as part of a trend towards 'Tesco-isation' of large charities.

In a letter to the paper she said: "Many readers - in particular charity supporters - may feel it is, at best an unusual choice of works for a charity to use.

"The RNIB Group 'believes the risks are manageable'. What about the risks this corporate, rather than charitable approach brings to other charities working hard to deliver much-needed services to people (not customers)? Does it warm readers to the charitable cause, or does it alienate them?"

She added that the feared the centralisation of services could also undermine service to people living with sight loss, by offering a one-size fits all solution. It is unclear how the decision to transfer RNIB services to the English-based charity will benefit Scottish people living with sight loss, she said.

Speaking to the Herald, Ms Sandford said Visibility valued the work of RNIB Scotland in campaigning and raising the profile of blind and partially sighted people and their needs, as well as its key role in the cross party group on visual impairment at Holyrood. The charities were not rivals, she said.

"I don't want to see any services for blind and visually impaired people eroded, whoever runs them," she added. "But to move Scottish services of a long-established charity to an organisation not known in Scotland seems a backward step and a reputational risk to all of us."

John Downie, director of public affairs for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations said that it was reasonable for a charity to try to improve its customer service, but added: "They could have presented it differently. They have gone about this without fully understanding the Scottish marketplace.

"A lot of charities are taking the opposite approach and strengthening their Scottish arms. It is a very strange move and referring to RNIB Scotland as a business unit transferring to the UK organisation won't go down well with volunteers, funders or donors."

People in Scotland like to donate to charities with a distinctively Scottish identity, he said: "It is laudable to aim too reach and help more people. But the RNIB group can't seem to make up its mind whether they want to maintain a strong credible reputable Scottish brand, or not."

As part of a consultation exercise over the plans, RNIB Group issued a Q&A to RNIB Scotland staff. It addresses the question "Does Action [for Blind People] have any real ideas of the fractious political landscape now in Scotland?" The RNIB said the group wanted to understand the issues for people with sight loss across the UK, but could 'navigate the different political landscapes we face'. In response to the question "how many Scottish customers were asked about this proposal?" the document said proposals were based on feedback from customers but conceded: "We did not directly ask customers about this proposal."

RNIB Scotland staff believe the transfer is a fait accomplit, but the RNIB Group says it is still engaged in an ongoing dialogue over its UK set up.

"Detailed consultation on proposals concluded last week and we are currently analysing the feedback," a spokesman said. "This is part of an ongoing dialogue with staff and trustees on how we can best deliver more for more people."