Sainsbury’s customers angry at ‘lack of attention’ at store

Walls around the Kidlington superstore in Oxford Road have been sprayed with graffiti, while litter is being left strewn over the floor and shrubs are left uncut.

Kidlington district and town councillor Fiona Mawson has called on Sainsbury’s to take “more pride” in the appearance of the area.

She has accused supermarket bosses of “relying on the council to clean up for them”.

Fiona Mawson at the Kidlington Sainsbury’s (Image: Ian Middleton)

A plastic bag left in a tree at Sainsbury’s (Image: Ian Middleton)

In a recent meeting, Ms Mawson heard that Gosford and Water Eaton Parish Council has been paying to trim hedges and litter pick in the alley adjacent to the store’s car park which is within the parish even though it is commonly referred to as the Kidlington store.

Sainsbury’s previously had to apologise after volunteers, including Green councillor Ian Middleton, collected plastic bags and other pieces of litter covering paths, trees and alleyways surrounding the Kidlington store in 2020.

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Ms Mawson, who said she often takes part in litter picks in the area, has attempted to contact the store to ask for another clean-up but has been unable to get a satisfactory reply.

She said: “I’ve received numerous reports from local residents about the state of this area and have attempted to engage with Sainsbury’s about it, but they don’t seem to be interested.

“I understand that the local parish council has also tried to get the store to take responsibility and clean up the area but they’ve had a similar response.

“It’s outrageous that huge companies like these are seemingly perfectly happy for local taxpayers to foot the bill for maintaining their store estate.

Volunteers had previously tidied up the area around the Sainsbury’s Kidlington superstore (Image: Ian Middleton)

Volunteers had previously tidied up the area around the Sainsbury’s Kidlington superstore (Image: Ian Middleton)

“They are also relying on the good will of local volunteer litter-pickers to do the their jobs for them.

“Whilst I appreciate that things like littering and graffiti are out of the control of the store management, it is their property and they should be taking more care of it.

“This lack of maintenance reflects poorly on Sainsbury’s and suggests they don’t take their responsibility to the community that they rely on for custom seriously.

“As a former high street retailer myself, I know how important the state of your storefront is and I’d suggest that a company the size of Sainsbury’s should take a similar approach and clean-up their act, rather than relying on hard pressed local councils and volunteers to do it for them.”

Sainsbury’s has been approached for a response.

The latest mess in Kidlington comes after the Bicester superstore in Pioneer Square was under fire for the increasingly poor condition, prompting a petition to be started to get the chief executive to visit.