"The article mentioned Amazon, and
someone else mentioned Walmart"
Someone else, doesn't mean in the article.
Yeah, of course they don't sell guns. UK residence are not allowed by law to defend themselves. That's why violence is now worse in the UK, than in the US.
The most violent country in Europe: Britain is also worse than South Africa and U.S. | Daily Mail Online
Anyway.....
This claim of yours that thousands of small business have been destroyed in the UK, is the same garbage I hear in the US all the time.
First, I highly doubt you would be able to actually prove this. Some small business have been destroyed? Maybe. You might be able to make that claim, and provide a dozen examples.
But exactly how many? I doubt thousands.
However, let us even say you are right, that some small business have been destroyed.
Is that automatically bad? No.
Again, by the numbers, small business often employ very few people. Additionally small businesses pay very low wages, far lower than Amazon and Walmart do. Further, small business often provide very few benefits. Lastly, small business by definition, has little room for upward mobility.
Take for example, my current job, verses my old job. Before this job, I had a short term job with a small company, which employed only 5 people. We built computers, and sold them special order for customers. I was paid $9 an hour. I got zero holiday pay. I got zero vacation time.
That's a small business. I have zero prospects of moving up. I basically would have to wait until someone died, and then take their job.
Now my current company, is a large international company, and we build computers. Exact same job. I'm paid about $12 an hour. I get 2 weeks paid vacation. I get holiday pay, and health insurance (if I want it), and even sick pay. They have over 300 employees at this specific location, and I have already been offered a promotion. There are dozens of ways I could move up the income ladder, from management, to IT support, and there are other options.
Additionally, the company offers college tuition reimbursement, and paid training, and certification reimbursement.
Now if this company drives out, and destroys that other small business..... which part of this is bad?
Far more jobs created. Better paying jobs created. Better benefits for the jobs created. More room for upward mobility created.
And lastly, if customers are choosing Amazon and Walmart over these small business.... why do you think that is? Better product, at a better price, or wider selection, or better service?
How is that bad?
Everything about this is all positives. Which one of these is somehow bad for the country?