NEARLY 70 per cent of Northern Ireland consumers support the arrival in Northern Ireland of supermarket giants Sainsbury and Tesco, according to a report by the General Consumer Council. Sainsbury intends to open eight Northern Ireland stores, while Tesco has plans for six.

The results form part of the council's submission to the official consultation on planning policy for retailing and town centres. The chairman, Lady McCollum, said that although consumers valued the traditional town centres, they also wanted the convenience of out of town shopping.

"We have asked the Department of the Environment to take full account of the consumer interest," she said, "and ensure that there is a balance between town centre retailing and out of town shopping developments."

The council believes that planning restrictions on out of town centres recently introduced in Britain would not necessarily be appropriate for Northern Ireland.

At present food retailing in Northern Ireland is dominated by the three existing supermarket chains, Stewarts/Crazy Prices, Wellworths, and Dunnes Stores. The Consumer Council says there is a need for greater consumer choice and competition.

"There should be the widest possible choice of shopping for the largest number of people," the report said.