Page 14 INTERNATIONAL SUPERMARKET NEWS
Online Version. www.internationalsupermarketnews.com
News
After Tesco and Boots attacked the banking industry by opening in
store branches of their own, the Legal fraternity are now up in arms,
as they see legal reform encouraging large supermarkets to set their
sights on their trade. In response, yesterday, Legal personnel handed
out free cans of beans from shopping trolleys outside the High Court
in protest.
In a fight-back against reforms that will enable supermarkets and
other stores to offer customers legal services, members of the Legal
profession are taking direct action and are warning that Government
plans for the "Big Bang" in legal services was a recipe for disaster.
The reforms, under the Legal Services Act 2007, dubbed the "Tesco
law", will enable big companies such as supermarkets or motoring
organisations to own law firms or employ lawyers and offer legal
services directly to their customers.
Yesterday's protesters, who waved placards saying "No to Tesco
law", staged the demonstration with cans of beans bearing the mes-
sage: "Legal services by supermarkets is as ridiculous as lawyers
selling beans."
The lawyers have united under the brand name QualitySolicitors.
Com which has attracted 100 law firm members and which they plan
to market to rival moves by chain stores or any other newcomers to
the legal market.
In defence of the Government plans to allow non-legal bodies such
as the Co-op or the RAC to offer legal services, Bridget Prentice,
the Constitutional Affairs Minister, said: "I don't see why consumers
should not be able to get legal services as easily as they can buy a
can of beans."
But Craig Holt, a London barrister who opposes the changes, said
to The Times newspaper "Allowing the likes of Co-op, Tesco and
the AA to provide legal services is a recipe for disaster and a move
that demonstrates utter contempt for the consumer of legal services".
"Services by these brands will inevitably be provided by unqualified
call-centre staff, probably outside the UK, overseen by an inadequate
number of in-house solicitors".
These proposed changes come at a time when the government is
reducing the public's access to legal aid and are likely to end up
representing themselves, unless low cost alternatives can be found
Legal profession protest against
"Tesco law"
Carrefour trial new style
French store
Carrefour SA said yesterday that it is planning a complete renovation of
its entire chain of 220 French hypermarkets. In a move aimed at gaining
market share and attracting more cost conscious clientele in its home
country of France, the world's second largest food retailer will revise the
appearance and product selection countrywide.
Carrefour plans to update the decor, expand the food selection and
streamline the checkout process in its French stores, according to
comments made by Alain Souillard, head of Carrefour's hypermarket
division following the recently renovated hypermarket in Auteuil, on the
western outskirts of Paris.
The retailer says the moves are in response to a market which has
changed a great deal, as recent figures for the company showed, its
customers have reined-in non-food spending, and Carrefour is now
responding by cutting back on non-food items in some locations.
This change is visible in the Auteuil store, where the company has
eliminated 40% of non-food offerings, while stocking a larger range of
food items, including a "wine cellar," with bottles from 2 to 1,200, a
display of a dozen exotic tomato varieties, shelves packed with regional
French foods and a large selection of organic products. The company
also recently launched a low-cost branded range
of products and a French promotional campaign in an effort to boost
trade.
At the store the company is also testing an innovative scan-as-you-go
price tallying system which company executives say reduces check-out
queues. Carrefour is installing self-operated check-out counters in over
half its French megastores.
Carrefour's new CEO, Lars Olofsson, appointed last year to improve
performance, has said the brand has lost some of its strength in France,
where shoppers view it as more expensive than it actually is.

Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 15Page 16Page 17Page 18Page 19Page 20Page 21Page 22Page 23Page 24Page 25Page 26Page 27Page 28Page 29Page 30Page 31Page 32Page 33Page 34Page 35Page 36Page 37Page 38Page 39Page 40Page 41Page 42Page 43Page 44Page 45Page 46Page 47Page 48Page 49Page 50Page 51Page 52Page 53Page 54Page 55Page 56Page 57Page 58Page 59Page 60Page 61Page 62Page 63Page 64Page 65Page 66Page 67Page 68Page 69Page 70Page 71Page 72Page 73Page 74Page 75Page 76Page 77Page 78Page 79Page 80Page 81Page 82Page 83Page 84 Produced by PageSuite