Issue 52— January 2003
Why is our Co-op so expensive?
A number of people have been complaining that the prices in the Co-op in Walton Street are high-higher even than in other Co-op stores in the city. A comparison with the co-op store in Botley Road, for example, shows that for many groceries prices are around 10% higher. For example, a packet of Daz soap powder that costs £2.09 in Botley Road costs £2.29 in Walton Street. There are similar differences for other items: All Bran, 750g (£1.69 compared with £1.99); Maxwell House coffee, 300 g (£2.98 and £3.25). Even milk is more expensive: a 1.14 litre pack costs 61p here-4p more than in Botley Road.
Asked why people in Jericho were being asked to pay more, a spokesman for the Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op, Adrian Barradell, explained: "The Society does operate different price structures between different stores. This can relate to the size of store or location of competitors. However the Co-op always aims to be competitive with like-for-like competitors. Walton Street is one of our smaller convenience stores and therefore the number of customers and 'spend per basket' is lower than in a bigger supermarket which, as a result, can offer lower prices. Our small stores do, however, run a selection of special offers on day-to-day lines to offer real savings to our customers."
The Co-op is certainly a convenient store with friendly staff, but essentially they charge more in Jericho because they have a captive market.
