You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Due to the development and the expansion of supermarkets, many small, local markets are unable to compete. Some people think that the closing off local businesses will bring about the death of local communities. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

It is a fact that the supermarket chain is expanding across the world, snatching away the businesses from local markets. Some see this development as the death siren of the local communities. Even though, the situation is alarming, I believe most local communities have the ability to survive.

The first reason why I hesitate to extend my full agreement to the statement is because of the inseparable relationship between the local businesses and local culture. To explain it further, each community has a pattern of living, which makes them distinct from other communities. This includes their food habits, dressing style and entertainment preferences, to name but a few. These preferences have a significant impact in the products and services they buy. Since the local businesses can better cater these services than a supermarket, this strong bond between the lifestyle and the local market would exist.

The second reason why I oppose the statement is because of the local communities’ history of survival. To be precise, despite tough marketing competitions, war, famine and other natural calamities, the essence of a traditional community is still recognisable. Even in this advanced world of technology and globalization, each community shows its uniqueness, and stands somewhat distinct from others.

I admit that the many local communities are getting weak with the popularization of shopping mall culture, which is a product of globalization, and some have already become vanished. However, this is not the case in majority of the local communities, which have a strong cultural background.

To conclude, though there are instances when the advancing popularity of shopping malls would affect local communities adversely, I do not believe that it can completely wipe them out.

Word count: 280