A florist who says that she has seen her takings go down by �300 a week since the opening of a new Tesco store came face to face with her competitors.

Lisa Clark, the owner of Lisa’s Flowers in Cherry Tree Lane, Rainham had a visit from Michael Kissman from Tesco earlier this month.

She said: “It was nice to meet up with someone from Tesco and talk to them about my problems because since the opening of the store, I have seen my business just go right down hill.”

The visit was organised by Rainham and Dagenham MP Jon Cruddas as part of a campaign to protect local businesses.

It also included a visit from Cllr Denis Breading (Lab, South Hornchurch).

Since the Tesco store first opened on the site of the former Cherry Tree Pub, Lisa says that she has seen a knock on affect on her business with the store also selling flowers.

She fears that if her business does not improve, she may be forced to close down her flower shop.

She said: “I have spent a lot of money on the shop and it would be a shame if I did have close, but things have been very difficult since the Tesco store opened up because they are selling exactly the same things as me.

“Tesco has said that they will be reviewing the situation after six months but I am not the only one whose business is suffering.”