The majority of shoppers believe chain stores are ridding towns of their local identity by turning high streets into carbon copies of each other, new research claims.
One in eight respondents feared the individual distinctiveness of their local community was threatened by the proliferation of national supermarket, coffee shop and fast food chains.
Almost half of respondents to the Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) study put the trend of large supermarkets taking business from small shops second only to increasing crime levels.
Another three quarters said the presence of independent stores adds to the character of towns and cities, while one in five complained supermarkets detract from an area.
Released to coincide with today's National Independents Day, which promotes independent grocers and convenience stores, the report called for the government to take action to prevent towns, cities and villages from becoming 'cultural deserts'.
Alan Toft, chairman of FWD's My Shop is Your Shop campaign, said: "Independent stores are vital to our sense of community and many consumers see their presence as an intrinsic part of our national identity.
"Although they are a valuable community resource, in many areas they are under pressure from the march of the big name retailers and the British public is asking local and national government to take steps to avoid all our high streets ending up looking the same."
