Tesco steamrolls over Sunday campaign on Isle of Lewis

'Tesco will go ahead with seven-day opening of its only supermarket in the Outer Hebrides, a decision critics have said puts “profit before the wellbeing of people”,' The Times newspaper says.

The report continues: 'The Stornoway store on the Isle of Lewis is believed to have been the only one in the retail giant’s UK empire not to open on the traditional Sabbath. Despite protests from church groups and others, it will now have its first Sunday opening on November 17.'

The move comes despite considerable public opposition. Members of Day One – the organisation campaigning for appropriate Christian Sundays – had previously said they had been ‘surprised’ by the positive coverage islanders had received for opposing proposals for the only Tesco store on the isle of Lewis to open on a Sunday.

The Outer Hebridean island in Scotland’s northwest still largely maintains a tradition of shops and other businesses being closed on Sundays, and over 1,100 of Lewis’ 20,000 population signed a petition opposing proposals for the superstore in Stornoway to open its doors every day from now on.

Stornoway is the biggest town in Lewis and boasts a population of around 7,000, equal to about a third of the island’s population, and is home to the only two grocery superstores on the adjoined islands of Lewis and Harris.

Speaking to EN before Tesco announced its decision, Andrew Coghill, who is a Free Church of Scotland minister on the neighbouring island of Scalpay and a member of Day One (formerly known as the Lord’s Day Observance Society (LDOS)), revealed that opposition to the proposals had come from non-Christians as well as believers.

He also revealed that members of the local LDOS committee, which he is a member of, had met with the local manager of Tesco to discuss the issue.

Surprises

Coghill had said: ‘Two things have surprised us as this issue continues to make wider headlines. One is how relatively neutral and potentially positive most of the media have been towards the idea of Tesco remaining closed on the Lord’s Day.

‘The other is the widespread opposition of many of the non-Christian public to the seven day opening. It may be perhaps that some people have discovered by experience that whilst they may not share the beliefs of their Christian neighbours, they have seen that God’s commandments have real practical benefits for everyone.’