DIYWEEK.net

Family-run DIY business, D&G Short, in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, is under threat following plans for an expansion of the local Tesco store.
D&G Short operates key-cutting and locksmiths services as a large part of the business, and shop manager Vicki Williams told DIY Week that Tesco's plans for a pod extension to its store, which is on the same road as D&G, offering the same services means she may lose custom to the supermarket giant.

"We heard about it through the grape vine and the council confirmed that there are no grounds under competition for it to be opposed," Ms Williams explained. "So we had no way of appealing it. We will lose business from it, no doubt about it, but how much we don't know yet. That would depend on the price and the convenience of Tesco."

Tesco has planned to build an extension on the front of its store to include its new key-cutting service and Ms Williams fears that customers will not make an extra journey to visit her shop as well. "We think building will start quite soon. It's a huge two fingers up at us really; it's huge and you'll have to walk right past it on the way in and the way out.

"We did some research into Timpson - the franchise that goes into Tesco pods - and they are more expensive by about £2 a key. So we're making the most of that and we can't do anything about the convenience factor - people will park at Tesco, do their shopping and get their key cut while they're there. We just have to hope that it's not going to damage us too much. But it will have an impact on us."

She continued: "People have to come to us to get a key cut, because there's nowhere nearer than Bedford or Luton. We've been here for so long and we're very lucky that we have now got many loyal customers. We've done a lot of adverting to capture new customers as well.

D&G Short has been a family-run business for 89 years; it was set up by Ms Williams' great grandmother and it has been passed down the generations ever since. The shop started out selling hats, then it became a toy shop, and a gardening, hardwares and ironmongery shop after that and then the DIY and locksmith side of the business was introduced. There's an in-store locksmith and Ms Williams' brother and father work on the road as call-outs and doing installations.

She is still hoping customers will continue to visit the business because of its experience and history in the industry but she said this is another example of another small town that is being taking over by a big company.