It can be difficult for small local shops to compete with large supermarkets and with on-line shops. How does this affect local communities? What could be done to improve this situation?

Nowadays there is more choice for the consumer than ever before. Large supermarket chains sell products from around the world at

rock bottom

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prices. We are

also

able to buy anything we desire from the

internet

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Internet

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and, often, have it delivered the next day.

However

,

this

comes at the detriment of small local

shops

, and our local communities. I would suggest that we need to take measures to address

this

problem. Large chain

store

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stores

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are able to purchase and trade a very large volume of goods and,

as a

result

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,result

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they can sell goods with a very small profit margin.

Likewise

, online retailers have comparatively low overheads as they do not have to maintain a shop.

This

saving is

then

passed on to the customer in the form of low prices. In comparison, smaller local

shops

have to sell products at a relatively high price in order to make a profit. Unable to compete, they often face closure. The problem with

this

is that the community loses

it’s

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sense of identity. It is often these small

shops

that differentiate one town from another. With the loss of these

shops

, high streets and town centres become homogenised with the same

shops

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shop's

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fronts and products. It has

also

been found that local

shops

generate more employment than larger, chain stores. What we need to do is to encourage people to shop locally.

This

could be in the form of publicity campaigns, highlighting the benefits of supporting local

businesses

. The government could

also

play a role by offering tax breaks and incentives to local

businesses

so that they are better able to compete with larger companies.

To conclude

, we can see a number of, mostly financial, reasons why smaller

shops

are unable to compete and that the loss of these

businesses

would have a negative impact on the community. Individuals and government both need to play a role in supporting local

businesses

so that we can preserve the diversity of our towns and cities.