Shoppers ‘boycott Tesco over plan to open on Sundays’

Deeply religious Scottish islanders ‘vote with their feet and consciences’ and switch to Stornoway’s more expensive Co-op

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Dozens of shoppers are boycotting Tesco on a religious Scottish island over a controversial plan to open on Sundays, it has been claimed.
Gordon Murray, a Western Isles councillor, said people were “voting with their feet and their conscience” and had stopped using the supermarket’s Stornoway branch on the Isle of Lewis.
Charlie Nicolson, a former councillor, said a “large number” of residents had switched to the local Co-op and “more will be joining them” despite the shop being more expensive than Tesco.
They spoke out after nearly 200 people protested at a public meeting last Friday, with the supermarket giant reportedly being condemned for not attending.
An empty chair was set aside at Stornoway Town Hall for a Tesco representative at the meeting arranged by the Lord’s Day Observance Society.
The Stornoway branch is thought to be the only one in the retail giant’s UK empire not open on the Christian Sabbath.
The island, which has a population of about 20,000, has a long tradition of observing the Christian Sabbath as many of the island’s residents believe Sunday should be a day of rest.
The practice is derived from the Bible’s commandment which states: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
But, following a consultation, Tesco announced last month the store would start opening on Sundays from Nov 17, between 12pm and 8pm.
An online petition asking Tesco not to go ahead has attracted 1,900 signatures since being launched three weeks ago and both the Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland have expressed fierce opposition.
Mr Murray said: “There are dozens of people who have already quit the store because they are angry – even though going to the Co-op is more expensive. They are going to take a hit but they are voting with their feet and their conscience.”
The Stornoway North councillor said “many atheists” had also contacted him agreeing that Tesco should remain closed on Sundays.
Mr Nicolson said: “There is a large number that have already switched and more will be joining them. The Co-op is very busy and has welcomed people it has not seen in a long time.
“People are also angry that Tesco never engaged with them and home delivery on Sundays is also planned in March. That will also change the character and peace of the island.”
Rev Greg MacDonald, of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), said he had also heard of a boycott, adding: “They have underestimated, if proposing to proceed, the effect this will have on islanders.
“Tesco is the cheapest store on the island but some members of the community will stop using it, which will come at a financial cost to them.”
In past decades the Sabbath was observed so strictly on the island that play park swings were chained up at dusk on Saturday, and hanging out washing was frowned upon.
Restrictions have since relaxed over recent years, with the first Sunday commercial flight landing at Stornoway airport in 2002 and Sunday ferry sailings since 2009.
Petrol stations and some restaurants also now open on Sundays but many local shops, including the only other supermarket, a Co-op, remain closed.
Council-run facilities such as swimming pools, soft-play areas and the island’s two-lane bowling alley are also shut, even though the local authority allows similar facilities to open on other islands.
Christian Davies, Tesco store director in the Highlands and Islands, has previously said: “We are confident that the decision to open our Stornoway superstore on Sundays will allow us to balance the demand for a seven-day opening while remaining respectful to local traditions and culture.”
Tesco was approached for comment.
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