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Published:
October 27, 2007
First
shots fired in new round of Burnham-On-Sea 'store
wars'
 The
first shots have been fired in a new round of Burnham-On-Sea 'store
wars' as the countdown to the opening of Highbridge's new multi-million
pound Asda supermarket begins.
Asda
is due to open its huge 40,000 sq ft store on Monday November
5th, but rival stores Tesco and Somerfield have this week launched
high-profile promotional offers in an attempt to woo shoppers
and prevent them taking their custom to the new store.
Tesco's
Burnham store fired the first shots by inserting a four-page supplement
in one Burnham newspaper in which it claims its prices are cheaper
than Asda's and boasts "see who has the smallest prices,
not just the biggest claims."
 Tesco
is holding a 'double voucher weekend' at its Love Lane store on
the 3rd and 4th November - just days before the new Asda store
opens.
Not
to be out done, Somerfield's Pier Street store and its Highbridge
store in Southwell Crescent have also jumped on the bandwagon
with deals of their own.
Its
shoppers will be able to claim 10 per cent off the cost of their
shopping bills on the weekend of 3rd and 4th November using a
promotional voucher.
Meanwhile,
David Simcox, the manager of Asda's new Highbridge store, says
he is ignoring the 'store wars' and is focusing on the big launch
day.
 "It's
incredibly busy here at the moment," he told Burnham-On-Sea.com
on Friday (October 26th).
"We've
just had our first delivery of products today and will be stocking
our shelves non-stop during the next few days to get everything
ready for the big opening."
Ultimately,
shoppers are sure to benefit from the latest round of rivalry,
with extra competition providing more product choice and putting
pressure on the firms to reduce their prices.
But
local councillors and trade bodies are also concerned that it
may come at the expense of small High Street shops in Burnham
and Highbridge.
Some
shops will be carefully watching for any downturn in trade over
the next few months.
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Huge
new Highbridge Asda store gets the go-ahead
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