Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Wal-Mart Killer coming to Glendora?

The Curbed Los Angeles blog reports that TESCO, a sort of British Wal-Mart with a high-end, technologically savvy twist, is likely coming to Glendora (not to mention West Covina, Upland, Rialto and Fontana, among others). In Glendora, TESCO recently applied for a liquor license for a potential location on the corner of Grand Avenue and Gladstone street.

Wal-Mart, and its lovers and haters, should take note, as this CNNMoney.com article makes clear.

Given the frequent controversy that Wal-Mart has generated in Southern California generally and the foothill cities particularly (take the recent Rosemead controversy, for example), one wonders how this new development will play out. TESCO has apparently held its own with Wal-Mart in its native Great Britain, and many in the business community see its move to the United States through Southern California as a direct assault on Wal-Mart itself.

The question is whether opponents of Wal-Mart will take on TESCO with the same vigor, or will they leave one of their mortal enemy's only potential competitors alone? Since many of the same complaints people make about Wal-Mart apply just as well to TESCO (see here, for starters) logic would lead one to think that Wal-Mart haters would attack TESCO as well.

However, since most of the locations into which TESCO is moving will likely welcome the company, and since many of the most vociferous opponents of Wal-Mart seem narrowly concerned with that company alone, I'd guess that TESCO's inland invasion will go smoothly. But one never knows...

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