Butchers, bakers, fish mongers and greengrocers of East Suffolk, England, prospered after an out-of-town superstore was refused planning permission, a recent report found.
The recent study, conducted the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the Plunkett Foundation, found that following a failed planning application from Tesco in 1997, rural retail had flourished in the area around Saxmundham, in East Suffolk.
The news will help boost the case against the expansion of the large retailers into the convenience sector, where the retail giants have been accused of taking away the livelihood of the smaller, local retailers.
The Real Choice report also calls for the sale and promotion of more locally produced goods by all large supermarkets after discovering that 70% of British people say they would like to buy local food. Budgens, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer already offer local produce.
The reports findings, which include a rise the number of food suppliers from 300, in 1997, to 370 in the area around Saxmundham, were welcomed by CPRE head of rural policy Tom Oliver, who said it was a striking success story for local foods.
Other benefits from the report, endorsed by celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, include a growth in the number of farm shops and markets, along with greater choice and value in the local stores.