Food retailers in Wimbledon Village have been rocked by the news that supermarket giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) could be moving onto their patch.

The top-of-the-range supermarket has expressed interest in placing one of its new range of Simply Food stores on the corner of Ridgway and Wimbledon Hill Road.

There are plans to tear down the 120 Wimbledon Hill Road premises, occupied by the Clarkes Bed Company, replacing it with a three to four-storey building containing 14 flats and a new ground floor retail unit.

Planning consultant Brendan Hodges, of city architects Broadway Malyan Planning Limited, confirmed that an application was submitted to Merton Council on January 2.

He also confirmed that M&S would be taking the ground floor unit for one of its Simply Food stores should planning permission be granted.

Mr Hodges pointed out the building already has permission for retail use and, therefore, M&S could move in anyway.

He said the Simply Food stores sold a fairly limited range of fresh and pre-prepared food and a "need" had been identified in the area.

But the intended move has sent alarm bells ringing throughout the village.

All Seasons Food and Wine convenience store owner Mahesh Patel said the move would badly affect his business and that of other traders already having to pay expensive, rising rents.

He said: "We've been here more than 10 years. It will cripple the trade. We're all worried because it's going to put us out of business."

His view was echoed by the manager of family-owned Roots convenience store, Shandip Patel, who is also worried about the effect on his business.

Mr Patel said: "We already pay an astronomical rent and have spent £200,000 on the business. A recent shop refit cost £40,000. We sell flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, and make around 300 to 400 sandwiches daily on the premises. I think it's going to hit us hard."

Bailey and Sage delicatessen owner and Wimbledon Village resident Jenny Allen said

she did see Simply Food as

a threat to her trade in speciality foodstuffs. But she was concerned that "rocketing" rents would make it more and more difficult for small traders in the village to compete with multinationals.

Resident Porteur Keene, who lives in the High Street,

said: "I moved to the village so that I could pop into flower shops, buy warm bread and have a family relationship with local traders."

A spokesman for M&S was tight-lipped about the plan and would not confirm that Wimbledon Village would be getting a store. She was only prepared to say M&S was looking at Wimbledon "as a potential site" for one of the 150 Simply Foods stores to be "rolled out" by 2005.

January 31, 2003 10:30