Tesco, the WalMart of grocery shopping in the UK and Ireland, has announced that its going to build homes for its staff to combat the dearth of affordable houses in many of the major cities, in which it operates. In Britian its to build 250 flats alongside its Streatham store in London, which it will allocate 100 will be in the "affordable category" and 13 will be allocated to staff. Tesco has also lodged a planning application to Dublin City Council to build a similar scheme in Sandymount, Dublin 4. Its unclear at the moment if any of these units will be allocated to staff.

All this looks very nice from the outside, especially if you are one of those who finds getting onto the property ladder almost impossible. But really what would such a move mean?. Yes, on the plus side people will have a place which they could call home, but would living over your place of work be a healthy style of working?. I have a image of a young couple both working in Tesco's being lucky to be allocated one of these flats, working, buying,and borrowing, from Tesco. I suppose they could be named the "Tescoites" and live in a similar way those who lived in Stalins "gualag's". Consider what kind of "work life balance" would be afforded to the "Tescoites", there you are lying in bed at 3am and a message comes over the "Tesco" intercom, "we are low on bread, get up a fill the shelves", this would be really annoying if at 3am you were indulging in other activites in bed.

What happens if you leave your employment, do you also leave your flat?. Will there be some clause in your purchase contract that due to the fact that the flat was sold to you below market price,if you will leave you must sell it back to Tesco at a price below the "market value"?.

I suppose the days of Grocers selling groceries are lost for-ever but the march into "Property Development" just seems a step to far.It would be far better for Tesco to ensure that the shelves in its stores are full when one goes and does their shopping.

Perhaps George Orwell was'nt to far from the mark after all.....