Pershore coffee shop gets go-ahead

8:30pm Friday 2nd November 2012 in News By Sarah Taylor

COFFEE drinkers in Pershore have backed plans for a chain to open a new outlet in the town despite the venture facing fierce opposition from traders.

A number of cafes and tea rooms have launched petitions against the application from Coffee #1 to convert the former Ezee PC’S shop at 12 High Street.

But resident Peter Johnson said he would welcome a new place to get quality coffee.

He said: “I would welcome Coffee #1 and I know I am not alone. I can’t imagine we have enough of a footfall to attract the larger chains, but with it being a small chain having grown organically in the South West, I think this is the right sort of company to provide a boost to the economy of Pershore, and attract people who may be drinking coffee and spending money elsewhere.

“If the cafes suffer, they should know it is because they have not been offering what the public want. They have had the opportunity to fill this gap in the marketplace.

“A balance of independent and chains is what is required, and I believe Coffee #1 could help with that balance, not damage it.” The traders’ petition has attracted around 1,000 signatures.

Terry Smith, who owns tea shop Sugar and Spice, said: “We have a lot of support. People have even been coming into the shop to sign the petition. Most people don’t seem to want it.”

Coffee#1 has more than 25 outlets across Wales and the South West, the nearest being in Tewkesbury and Gloucester. It intends to open between 8am and 6pm from Monday to Saturday and 9am until 5pm on Sundays, and will provide 10 full-time and 10 part-time jobs.

Comments(10)

truth must out says...
8:58pm Sat 3 Nov 12

Hmmmmm...Peter Johnson it seems at least over a thousand people disagree with you. Nuff said!!

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Truckerlyn says...
12:03pm Sun 4 Nov 12

Peter Johnson, you say "I can’t imagine we have enough of a footfall to attract the larger chains,"

Candidly, Pershore does not have enough of a footfall to sustain an 8th coffee shop/Cafe in the town. This has the huge potential of putting others, and that is local people, out of business. Especially where it will be situated, just a few doors from 3 other cafes and just round the corner from a 4th!

As a chain, however small, yes, they can probably undercut the individuals, because, like supermarkets what they lose in one shop will be made up in others. It is grossly unfair to local individuals who have worked hard to build up their businesses.

I hope, very much, that if fails spectacularly.

I cannot see that a chain will offer the warm welcome and adaptability of the individual cafes already here, one in particular, Sarah Janes, where I personally witnessed very patient and genuine service offered to some elderly and confused customers recently.

Chains just want you in, get your money and out again so the turnover is maximised. Not the sort of place we need in Pershore. In the meantime, what we really need, individual and unique shops offering reasonably priced goods - as we once had, isn't being helped or encouraged back into the town and that is much of what is killing Pershore off and a viable place for people to come and shop.

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curlylocks says...
9:27pm Thu 8 Nov 12

Pershore is in dyer need for this up to date coffee shop. Yes there are plenty of 'tea rooms' which cater very well for the older generation, but nothing my age (30's) or even for the youngsters! I really don't think it will affect the tea rooms, their customers i'm sure will stay loyal to them, this will be a different kind of coffee shop attracting a new kind of customer. I for one would never venture to the cafes we have at the moment, they're very dated and if it does affect them, then maybe they should listen to what people want, decent coffee! No one bats an eye lid when all these hairdressers pop up all over town, and they all stay open! A bit of competition is good.. It's hardly Starbucks! Plus it'll create new jobs too.. Bring it on!

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hairflick says...
12:06am Fri 9 Nov 12

Just to comment on Truckerlyn e-mail,in Pershore we have about nineteen hairdressers, why not open another one. Bring on coffee 1, On a sunday in pershore there is no where to sit and have a nice cup of coffee plus on days like the carnival or the plum festival when we get lots of visitors nearly all the coffee shops are closed. I believe an updated coffee shop would be very beneficial to Pershore.

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Truckerlyn says...
5:43pm Fri 9 Nov 12

Maybe more people like to get their hair done and maybe it is because the footfall does not have to be so great as to make money they do not need, nor could cope with, the numbers needed in a cafe to make it viable.

As for carnival days, etc, we have certainly not had a problem getting a decent cup of coffee in Pershore and Abbey Tea Rooms open on a Sunday. However, if you have ever walked through Pershore High Street on a Sunday it is quite understandable why most of the cafes don't open - it is like a ghost town!

With regards to the current cafes being outdated and not for the young, there are plenty of younger people in Sarah Janes when we visit and mostly young people serving, too. It does the young a huge amount of good to mix with older people, unless, of course, they are anti old people! I don't know what category you, curlylocks, would put me in, but I am mid 50's. At the end of the day, we are all as young as we feel.

With the sort of seating capacity that is being proposed by Coffee#1, it could, indeed, do a lot of harm to the current traders and Pershore is not a big or thriving town to support another cafe.

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curlylocks says...
1:43pm Sat 10 Nov 12

I have spoken to a lot of people about this coffee shop and they are all for it.. You really can't compare Coffee#1 to the cafes we have now, I said before, they are completely different.To say Pershore is a ghost town on a Sunday, (true) it's most probably because there is literally nowhere for any one to go! So Coffee#1 will be a refreshing change.. You mentioned more people like to get their hair done, maybe more people will like to drink coffee too!

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Truckerlyn says...
4:00pm Sat 10 Nov 12

I can hardly believe that anyone is likely to go into Pershore on a Sunday just to drink coffee and it certainly is not a justifiable reason for another cafe, especially when one is already open, so it is not a case of not being able to drink coffee in Pershore on a Sunday! At least one other existing cafe would open on a Sunday IF there was the trade to support 2 being open, but there isn't.

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curlylocks says...
5:50pm Sat 10 Nov 12

Well my husband and I would definitely go into town on a Sunday for a coffee, why not? And no it's not a justifiable reason for another cafe because this isn't going to be an out dated tea room like the rest (as I keep stating!) Different shop entirely to Abbey Tea Rooms, and the rest. I think we will just have to agree to disagree and see for ourselves WHEN it opens.. Cannot wait!

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Truckerlyn says...
7:14pm Sat 10 Nov 12

How sad that anyone would come or go into any town on a Sunday JUST for a coffee.

If that is the case then there is no reason not to go to other towns where there are more modern and souless cafes. There is no reason to foist a souless and unrequired additional cafe upon an already struggling town.

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curlylocks says...
7:33pm Sat 10 Nov 12

Well isn't it a good job we are not all the same, what a dull world it would be ;-)

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