Herne villagers' 'victory' as Tesco pulls out of store

Villagers in Kent are celebrating after Tesco pulled out of plans to build a convenience store.

Last week more than 700 people marched through Herne to protest against the supermarket giant opening a store at the former Upper Red Lion pub.

A Tesco spokesman said: "It's the wrong place for a supermarket - Tesco has demonstrated that by pulling out."

Pira Komanem, who runs the village store, said she was "relieved" as she could not compete with a supermarket.

'Consultation works'

In December 2011, Tesco sent letters to residents saying they wanted to open a Tesco Express in Herne village and asked for feedback.

Michael Kissman, Tesco's corporate affairs manager, said: "We've looked at that feedback and we think it would be difficult to run the shop in that location.

"There's a few problems with deliveries and we want the shops to be the best they can be and if they can't then we don't want to proceed - it's a sign that consultation works."

Frank Holden, who chaired the Herne Against Tesco group, said campaigners wanted to know how the Upper Red Lion pub could be bought for the villagers, so it could be used for the community.