The rate at which the major supermarkets have set about taking over Oxford over the last couple of years is shocking. The planners seem powerless to stop the onward march of Tesco and Sainsbury in particular.

Having drawn people out of the city centre with out-of-town stores at Kidlington, Cowley and Heyford Hill, the two have now set about scrapping for dominance of the local market.

Tesco opened battle with its store right next to Sainsbury in Magdalen Street and another in St Aldates. Is it any coincidence that Tesco’s Cowley Road store could now be flanked by a new Sainsbury in St Clements and a second in Cowley Road?

We have yet to mention, of course, Tesco’s ongoing plans for a store in Marston and another in Abingdon Road.

One wonders how the Tesco and Sainsbury hierarchy see this battle. Is it a clash of egos, each trying to outdo the other in a battle for total dominance of the grocery market in Oxford? Is the rash of new supermarkets a coincidence, simply a result of the two companies pursuing a similar growth strategy of pushing into more local markets?

Either way, one has to question whether it is good for Oxford.

We are all as guilty as the next person of flocking to the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury. You can rely on the quality, the familiarity and value, and you will probably pick up a few bonus points on your various loyalty cards.

But what of the other local businesses trying to survive in a very tough market?

Truly local shops find it hard to compete with the enormous economies of scale of the supermarket giants.

The character of our individual local shops is already under threat from modern shopping patterns.

The onward march of Tesco and Sainsbury across Oxford may save us the odd pound in the pocket but it threatens to make our city poorer.