Stand-off as retail giant Tesco takes on Father Christmas
Wednesday December 02 2009
A remarkable Santa stand-off was continuing at Tesco’s Knocknagoney store in Co Down last night with the occupants of a charity grotto staging an overnight sit-in after being told they had to move the premises elsewhere.
The festive fall-out began yesterday when the supermarket chain asked Santa and his helper to relocate their grotto in the store car park because they were spreading too much Christmas cheer.
The problem was not one of ‘elf and safety’, but rather that there had been a complaint from a local resident because of the volume that Christmas music was being played at.
Following the complaint Tesco asked Santa and his not-so-little helper — strongman champion Glen Ross — to move their grotto closer to the store.
However, the pair refused saying they could not afford to take down the hut and reassemble it several metres away.
According to Mr Ross, the elves spent four days assembling the grotto, which is raising money for a meningitis charity, and it would cost around £1,000 (€1,100) in re-location fees to move to another spot.
After being contacted by the media Tesco offered to provide the manpower to move the grotto to another space in the car park.
However, Santa, 26-year-old joiner Jonathan Kelly, and Mr Ross declined and instead began a sit-in which they said would continue all night.
Just as the wild and woolly-wearing weather began to set in, protesters gathered outside the grotto last night holding a sign in support of Santa’s plight.
Later in the evening Father Christmas’s mother turned up with a Chinese food takeaway to lift the spirits.
Father Christmas’s father, businessman Tommy Kelly, said: “They are going to be staying all night. They want Tesco to know they would not be moved.
“We were trying to get together to do something for charity and built this grotto free of charge.
“There was one single complaint from a resident about the music.
“We were playing Jingle Bells and it was not loud at all.
“Tesco have made a mountain out a molehill. We told them earlier in the week that we would move the grotto but they did not want to know.
“It was only when the media got hold of the story that they made the offer to move it for us.”
Last night a spokeswoman for Tesco said that the retailer had not cancelled Christmas.
She said because Tesco had received complaints they had to ask Santa and his elf to relocate.
Once they became aware of the financial issue, she said they offered to provide the manpower for Santa and his helper to move the grotto to the other side of the car park.
Santa told said that he was disappointed the retail giant had taken such a stand.
He even claimed that the supermarket chain was preventing him from “delivering his toys”, and vowed he would stay inside his grotto in protest.
“I am going to stay here for as long as it takes,” he said.
“It is very sad they are doing this — Tesco are stopping hundreds of kids from seeing Santa.”
- Emily Moulton
