On 4 July 2016 Sainsbury's decided to close its 16 Netto stores in the North of England by the end of August.  The stores are a joint venture with Dansk Supermarked Group of Denmark, who own the Netto name.  The chain employs 400 people and its brightly coloured supermarkets have brought new life to moribund or disused store units across the North of England.  The stores are best known for their discount range of produce, fresh fruit, bakery including a range of Danish pastries, and discount booze, as well as the colourful weekly magazine that they put through our letterboxes, and stunts involving it's giant Lego dog logo.   We respectfully suggest that while Sainsbury's are within their right to cancel this venture that they think again, as some of these stores have been open for less than a year and this is not sufficient time to build a retail footprint.  Communities, some of which are in areas of great deprivation, will also be affected as they lose discount supermarkets not long after getting one for the first time.  Many of the areas served by Netto will feel a real material loss from the store closing and will be left with only one other or even no other local alternative.  We feel that Netto's general cheerfulness has been a breath of fresh air in the retail environment and it will be a great economic and social loss for this brand which has generated real affection in its short time back in the UK to disappear.