A café has urged people to support independent businesses where they can, warning that the impact of supermarket competition is becoming increasingly difficult for smaller operators.

The Quirky Teapot, based on Main Road in Ballasalla, shared a post on Facebook highlighting what it called the ‘Tesco effect’ following the supermarket giant’s takeover of Shoprite three years ago.

The café stressed that its message was not about telling people where they should shop, acknowledging that budgets, busy lives and family commitments meant supermarkets were often the easiest or cheapest option.

But it said the loss of even a few customers each day could make a significant difference to a small business.

‘For a small business, losing a few customers a day doesn’t sound dramatic,” the post said. “But those few coffees, lunches, newspapers, pints of milk, loaves of bread or last minute bits soon add up.’

It added that independent businesses had limited margins to absorb such losses, with owners, employees, local suppliers and families all potentially affected.

The post said the closure of a small business meant losing more than somewhere to buy something, including local jobs, choice and places where customers were known by name.

‘Nobody is asking anyone to stop using Tesco. We use supermarkets too,’ it said.

‘We’re simply asking: when you can shop local, please do.’

The café encouraged people to buy a coffee from an independent café or pick up a few items from a village shop, adding that even a £5 purchase could matter to a small business.

The message comes after Tesco announced in October 2023 that it had acquired all nine of Shoprite’s Isle of Man stores, bringing an end to more than 50 years of trading for the locally established supermarket chain.

The Tesco sign is being put on to the front of the store on Victoria Road, Douglas.
The Tesco sign is being put on to the front of the store on Victoria Road, Douglas. (Media Isle of Man )

The former Shoprite stores were gradually converted into Tesco outlets during 2024 and 2025, increasing Tesco’s presence on the island to ten stores, including its existing Douglas supermarket.

Shoprite had been the island’s largest independently owned grocery retailer before the sale.

The Quirky Teapot opened in Ballasalla in March 2025 and has previously spoken publicly about the challenges facing the café, including low footfall.