CONCERNS have been raised over the potential impact a merger between two major supermarkets would have on Basingstoke.

Over the weekend, a proposed merger between Asda and Sainsbury’s as part of a £10 billion deal was revealed.

With an Asda store in Brighton Hill and a Sainsbury’s in Hatch Warren, ward councillors and county councillors have aired their concerns of the impact the merger would have on their communities.

Bosses at the grocery giants initially insisted no stores would close as a result of the deal, but later said regulatory authorities such as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) could force them to offload stores as part of a competition probe.

Brighton Hill North ward councillor Mark Taylor took to Facebook, stating he would do his best to get answers for residents in the ward.

Cllr Taylor wrote: “Sainsbury’s and Asda are at an “advanced” stage. This raises huge questions for us in Brighton Hill. We need to listen to local people; we need [to] understand what the merger proposals could mean for us in Brighton Hill and we need to organise our community’s response.

“It might (I hope) also be referred to the Competition and Markets Authority who can stop the deal (or impose restrictions). Whatever happens we must make sure it is good for shoppers, good for workers and good for the people of Basingstoke.”

With some business experts predicting that the merger would lead to 75 per cent of stores closing across the UK, several people have called for the proposal to be referred to the Competition and Markets Authority.

Basingstoke South West county councillor Stephen Reid and Hatch Warren and Beggarwood ward member Terri Reid delivered a letter to Basingstoke MP Maria Miller urging her to take action.

The letter rerd: “We would hope, and this is our point in writing to you, that the [CMA] could look not only at the competition aspects of the merger that is being discussed but also at the potential social impacts.

“They could be of great importance in the Brighton Hill and Hatch Warren areas of Basingstoke.

“The social impacts would be significant if Asda Brighton Hill (for example) were to close. It caters for a community where there is a significant proportion of elderly and vulnerable people. The impacts on them could be highly detrimental, especially if it led to the decline of the whole Brighton Hill Centre.”

“As the retail sector consolidates, the social impacts of mergers become increasingly important and we would hope that the Competition and Markets Authority is able to consider them. If they are not currently empowered to do that, would you be prepared to make representations to the Minister to enable the Authority’s terms of reference to be expanded?”

The traditional high street has come under increasing pressure in recent years, with the growth in online retailers.

Sainsbury’s and Asda have also been squeezed by the rise of lower-cost supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, who between them have a 10.5 per cent grocery market share in the UK.