FEW people expected Dudbridge Industrial Estate to be chosen as the site of Stroud’s new supermarket, but the decision makes sense.

Although the district councillors on the planning committee were told not to choose an application based on which supermarket chain was attached, it’s hard to imagine they were not influenced by the knowledge that they were essentially deciding between Lidl, Asda and an unnamed third company.

For Lidl is the least likely to take business away from other shops and high streets because, quite simply, it does not offer as big a range as Asda or, say, Tesco or Morrisons.

Whereas the big supermarkets do clothing, books, greetings card, toys and have a pharmacy, Lidl is basically a big food store and therefore less likely to steal customers from as broad a range of existing shops.

Perhaps it was this desire to protect other traders which swayed the councillors towards Dudbridge.