A bit late adding to this but here goes anyway.

Bury council produced it’s unitary development plan (UDP) and in it mentioned the unique character of Rammy and how it was a jewel in the crown of Bury. It also mentioned how the locals would be better served by 1 large supermarket not 2 small ones. I think that point was made earlier wrt how expensive tesco metro is. However just months after publishing the UDP, bury council planners approve a third supermarket and not just a third supermarket but one which is far from in keeping with the good image and reputation of Rammy.

Seems to me that Bury want to drag us down to their level. I would love to know how many Ramsbottom people sit on the planning authority which makes decisions for Ramsbottom. It is clearly inapropriate that Bury people continue to take decision on what we need.

A Fish monger and book shop would be great. Along with a beach and 30 degrees. :)

The patronising, retailers refrain about Rammy folk ‘supporting’ their local shops in order to maintain the ‘unique diversity’ and ‘character’ of the area rather than going for the big supermarkets makes me want to laugh.
Whenever there is a downturn in the economy people are urged to ‘consume’ so that retailers and other businesses will not go under. We are told that ‘difficult decisions’ will have to be made and ‘belts will have to be tightened’. These are all code and euphemism akin to the ‘collatoral damage’ and ‘friendly fire’ of the US military when they kill the wrong person. Nobody ever seems to suggest that businesses should support the general public in these ‘difficult’ times by dropping their prices since we are all subject to pay freezes and rising costs for fuel and council tax and food and every other damned thing you can mention….and there is no cash and carry prices for us.
Why is it that businesses and bankers and share holders must be protected whatever happens and the rest of us must ‘tighten our belts?’
Frankly you can keep your ‘character’ I’ve seen it come and I’ll see it go. Rammy was far nicer twenty five years ago. Far nicer. I remember when the railway line ran to Rawtenstall as a proper service not bull**** some tourist attraction.

It’s not so bad having 3 supermarkets, at least we’ve got a choice of where to shop. All shops that come to Ramsbottom though should be made to have a shop front that’s in keeping with the area so it doesn’t go downhill. We don’t need more cheap booze outlets though because they only cater for drunks and binge drinking kids so no more Bargain Booze please as that attracts little gangs of problem children who do my head in!
Bootiful Shoes could do with getting a bit more stock in though as it only takes less than 30 seconds to walk round the shop and leave empty handed and disappointed. We may be a small village but we do like a bit more choice so that we don’t have to go into skanky Bury

I remember a while back there was a fast food / burger van that used to pitch near the Railway station in Ramsbottom, it was told by the council to move on somewhere else as he apparently was lowering the tone of the area. low and behold not long after this i heard there where plans to erect a 3rd…yes a Third Supermarket, like we need another one. 3 supermarkets all a stones throw from each other…why.? i,ve lived in Ramsbottom since 1997 after moving up from Tottington, it was a nice village but over the years it,s turning into a smaller version of Bury. i,ll stick to my local shops thank you, as for Booze outlets, gone are Threshers and Victoria wines leaving Only Bargain Booze as a handy off-licence…One other thing about The newly built Aldi is thats its another handy car-park for all the youths,yobs and rammy’s boy racers to hang out on.

I THINK ALDI COMMING TO RAMSBOTTOM IS A GOOD IDEA AND WILL BRING GOOD VALUE FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO AT THE MOMENT HAVE TO PAY FOR OVERPRICE GOODS AT THE TESCO METRO STORE WHICH IS FAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE BURY TESCO SUPERMARKET .FOR YEARS THESE GREEDY SUPERMARKETS HAVE BEEN EXPLOITING RAMSBOTTOM RESIDENTS BY OVERCHARGING SO THE WAY I SEE IT IS ALDI WILL KICK THEM IN TO TOUCH .

mel my mum told me the supermarket in rammy was called VG’s it then changed its name to spar.

As a Ramsbottom Trader myself, owner of Bootiful Shoes on Bridge Street, i feel the need to stress that not all the shops are snobby or over priced! I opened my shop in March as Ramsbottom is not only for tourist but for the local community. As the previos posts state not everyone can and want to travel out of Ramsbottom so my shop is directed and both locals and the tourist. Selling Shoes from as little as £4.00 and no more than £30 for ladies with a selection of childrens shoes no more than £20.00! I also stock handbags jewellery and accessories again at very reasonable prices! If people would open there eyes a bit more when walking through Ramsbottom and take the time to look at window displays and go inside you will see that some of us are in the real world and are here yes to make a living but also as strong belivers that Ramsbottom is a good place to be!

I wouldn’t want the character of Ramsbottom to disappear and replaced with a load of cheap discount shops but I do agree that there is a bit of snobbery going on with some of the fancy shops that sell designer goods. I once went in a designer children’s wear shop to ask if they sold bibs as I needed some for my grandson. The shop assistant looked at me as though I had asked if she sold dog poo! Needless to say, this shop was not in business for long as it only sold very expensive designer goods and nothing practical that people want. In this economic climate people want value for money. I will be using Aldi when it opens, along with Tesco and Morrisons and will continue to buy my favourite peppered chicken from the butchers near St Paul’s Church.

can anyone help in the 1960 there was a small supermarket in ramsbottom but what it was called i dont know the kitchen firm is there now

I for one am very happy about Aldi coming to Ramsbottom, nothing like a bit of good healthy competition for the consummer. True Rammy does have a plethora of shops, but most of them are to attract the ‘tourist’ trade, I mean how often on a regular basis do you want to buy any antiques, expensive clothes, sweets, riding gear, novelties of all description. Then there are the estate agents, charity shops, cafe’s etc. I think there is quite a bit of snobbery hiding away in Ramsbottom, because after all it is not a village, it is a town, with a growing population, even churches are being turned into living accommodation. Also in the case of cheap alchol, if kids want to get hold of some they will, I think that should be policed by their parents, why should the ordinary man in the street be penalised because of lack of correct direction by resposible adults. It makes my blood boil it really does. We will (with Aldi, which sells some wonderful stuff by the way) have three supermarkets, and rightly so, what about people who do not have transport to ferry themselves outside Ramsbottom, there are not enough corner shops anymore to support a town this size, the ones that are here are limited in what they sell, and too be quite honest a bit pricey for my liking. After all this is the 21st centuary let us live accordingly.