Scoop and Scales Book Club: Tescopoly by Andrew Simms

A relaxed book club discussion - date might be shifted

You can shop anywhere you like -- as long as it's Tesco

The inexorable rise of supermarkets is big news but have we really taken on board what this means for our daily lives, and those of our children? In this searing analysis Andrew Simms, director of the acclaimed think-and-do-tank the New Economics Foundation and the person responsible for introducing 'Clone Towns' into our vernacular, tackles a subject none of us can afford to ignore. The book shows how the supermarkets -- and Tesco in particular -- have brought:

• " Banality -- homogenized high streets full of clone stores
• " Ghost towns -- superstores have drained the life from our town centres and communities
• " A Supermarket State -- this new commercial nanny state that knows more about you than you think
• " Profits from poverty -- shelves full of global plunder, produced for a pittance
• " Global food domination -- as the superstores expand overseas

But there's change afoot, with evidence of the tide turning and consumer campaigns gaining ground. Simms ends with suggestions for change and corporate reformation to safeguard our communities and environment -- all over the world.

Please feel free to come along even if you haven't read the book

Doors from 7.20, with refreshments provided (if anyone wants to bring a cake we wont stop you!)