CHIANG MAI FROM THE SKY

I took this picture as the plane was climbing out from Chiang Mai last Friday. If you click on the image you'll be able to see a bigger version, and if you look closely in the bottom left hand corner you will see a familiar sight - Tesco !
Tesco Lotus is quite big over here, and at the moment there are demonstrations against their continued expansion. The locals fear, quite rightly, that more Tesco Lotus superstores means smaller retailers will go out of business. But isn't that what has happened in the UK? Surely market forces must be left to run their course. Consumers want value for money and they will go where things cost less, it's only natural.
If existing shopkeepers are worried then it means they cannot offer that same value for money, so they must adapt, innovate or sadly go out of business.