New Costa?

Morefit

@mirandola The Starbucks plan is just form a Conversation that we had with our landlords and is something that 'they believe'!!!!<div><br></div><div>@Arkady Again this is though conversations with local people. Some of my business neighbours actually own the land and have some elaborate plans to revamp that whole area again including 2 towers. But its seriously at an early stage and I dont think these guys are as organised as the City North Guys</div><div><br></div><div>But nothing is going to happen until after 2018</div><div>thats for certain</div><div>But thats not far away</div><div>Our lease runs till 2025 with break clauses yearly after 2018 so that is going to be the date when things are likely to be happing</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

harpistic

@morefit That's brilliant news about the Wardour Street branch, when is that likely to open? I work there and miss having a gym nearby!<br>

Arkady

@Morefit: Interesting, I thought City North owned both sites.<br>

Morefit

@harpistic Change of use takes 12-14 weeks and we are just finalising the lease. So fingers crossed within 12-14 weeks. Although you do know at our studios we do personal training only. <div><br></div><div>@Arkady Yeah I think the own our building but not the whole block. The shack and the other side of the block belong to the people who are thinking about the FP Towers!!!</div><div><br></div>

harpistic

@morefit I'm thinking personal training is probably what I need - I'm trying to recover from a defective knee, and I need to find a more effective programme without aggravating it (the pesky thing has flared up yet again). <br><br>Huge congrats on the new lease! <br>

Morefit

@harpistic New lease not confirmed yet. Ironing out final issues before we sign anything...<div>Fingers crossed...</div><div><br></div><div>It your interested in PT then why not come down to the studio in FP. We do rehab work there and it would be cheaper than it would be in the West End. </div><div><br></div><div>If you're interested then email info@morefit.co.uk and we'll book you in for a free session. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

applehead

Saw the Costa coffee fascia going up late yesterday afternoon but no no no Vagabond has ruined me for any other coffee around here.<br>

Kate Jones

@applehead I agree, Vagabond all the way! Completely addicted to it

Liz

Extremely rapid progress on the Costa today - reckon it will be open tomorrow. It was stocked with food and they were just putting out the tables and chairs when I came past about 6.

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rainbow_carnage

Every time I walk by it, my heart sinks. They've put a table right next to a large bin. Very classy, Costa. <br>

Ali

<P>I wonder if it is a Franchise and part opf a cluster</P> <P><A href="http://www.costa-business.co.uk/costa-coffee-shops/individual-franchising/the-package/">http://www.costa-business.co.uk/costa-coffee-shops/individual-franchising/the-package/</A></P>; <P> </P> <P>Certanly  open long hours</P> <DT>Mon</DT> <DD>06:30 - 21:00</DD> <DT>Tues</DT> <DD>06:30 - 21:00</DD> <DT>Wed</DT> <DD>06:30 - 21:00</DD> <DT>Thurs</DT> <DD>06:30 - 21:00</DD> <DT>Fri</DT> <DD>06:30 - 21:00</DD> <DT>Sat</DT> <DD>06:30 - 21:00</DD> <DT>Sun</DT> <DD>07:00 - 21:00</DD>

miss annie

I think all Costa's are franchises Ali. That one on the Station Place entrance is the least Costaish Costa I've been in.

Papa

You need a lot of money to open a Costa franchise though. <br><br>This says £250k in liquid assets to buy in and ability to raise £250k more.<br><br><a href="http://www.costa-business.co.uk/costa-coffee-shops/individual-franchising/financials-faqs/">http://www.costa-business.co.uk/costa-coffee-shops/individual-franchising/financials-faqs/</a><br>;

Ali

Shows you how much money a coffee shop can make !

andy

Interesting numbers, because you can bet Vagabond and the Front Room (or even BBM) didn't start with that much investment. 

Kate Jones

<p>I think they are buying in to the vision for the area - they clearly see that its going somewhere and are being first to market amongst the big coffee chains. I guess that being opposite Sainsbury (when/if it opens) is a positive for them. </p><p>The Costa in Station Place gets pretty busy in the mornings so the new one is counting on the morning traffic coming down Stroud Green Rd for the station. I'll still be in Vagabond, but I do see the new Costa as a positive sign for the neighbourhood. It is a shame it couldn't have been a small local coffee shop but thats a big gamble for someone to take during the current economy, esp when banks aren't lending...</p>

Papa

Out of all the chain coffee shops, I'd say Costa is my favourite and does the best coffee, although I'd still take a good independent anyday, of course.<br><br>That it wants to open on that corner is, as Kate says, a vote of confidence in lower Stroud Green Road - and it's massive footfall.<br><br>For those with an interest in this kind of thing, business-wise what it is doing at the moment is quite intriguing. It is pushing heavily into business franchises, ie hotels, offices, motorway services etc and also rolling out these very <a href="http://www.costa-business.co.uk/costa-express/partner-with-us/">fancy automatic coffee machines</a>, that you'll start seeing lots more of at petrol stations, stations etc. The idea of these is that a machine makes you a similar quality coffee to a coffee shop - uses real milk etc - and I as I understand it they are proving highly lucrative for Costa and the locations which do a revenue share.<br><br>As Ali says, coffee is a very profitable game if you can put yourself in the right location. Hopefully Vagabonds is also reaping the rewards.<br>

miss annie

There are lots of small independents all round the station. I'd prefer to use them if I can't make it from home to work without a cuppa.

Ali

<P>I would have thought it is on the wrong side of the road for most of the footfall.</P> <P>It is interesting using  the cycle track beside it this morning.  With tables, the crossing and the bikes it is a bit too crowded.</P> <P>I am sure that on a cold  wet wintery day  Costas will seem  attractive  vs  Vagabond.  Maybe Vagabond should have a "runner" delivery service a bit like you see in Turkey </P>

Papa

I would have thought it's the wrong side of the road too, but maybe easier to get premises that side<br><br>I presume the idea is that people buy their coffee on the way onto the tube / train rather than on their way back, in theory I'd say you catch more people on their way to the station on that side than on the way back.<br><br>I cycle - and don't go that way - so it's irrelevant to me, but I've never quite understood the idea of getting a coffee to take on a tube train that you can't move your arms on. <br><br><br>

Ali

It is also a small shop that  will be able to expand  if Sainsburys kills of the supermarket next door.

miss annie

Supermarkets don't kill small shops, customers do (to paraphrase GLC). If people spend their money in small shops they survive, if they switch en masse to the supermarket the small shops will close. Some indies don't put any effort in and deserve to close, no one wants a crappy selection of expensive nonsense. The onus is on small shops to do what Ash has done and stock fantastic produce at a great price. If anyone abandons SG fruit & Veg to go and buy shoddy overpriced stuff in Sainsburys I will personally come round and give you a stern talking to. Support your great independents!

poxy

"SG.ORG APPROVED" stickers for all of our quality local independent businesses?

Papa

Nice sloganeering Miss Annie, to that extent, I;d hold up the example of the new small indie supermarket on the corner of Hornsey and Hanley Road - Whitehill Stores I think it is called.<br><br>Great little shop, friendly people, good selection of stuff and far superior to the Tesco Metro that's opened further down Hornsey Road.<br>

djmattyoung

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">it infuriates me when I see people in the new Tesco metro on Hornsey Rd with just milk or loo roll & they are in queue but complaining about queuing when there's the independent Hornsey Food Market across the road which the price in those good is similar.</font><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">People just seem to flock to Tesco. </font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">I spoke to one of the guys in Hornsey Food Market and he said they were losing £300 a week since Tesco opened. </font></div>

Ali

That is why I don't use the Sainsburys unless I have to

harpistic

Where I lived before (W7), originally we had a parade of shops with a grocery shop and an off-licence (and not much else). The off-licence closed down. It later became another grocery shop - much to the dismay of the original one, which now had to extend its opening hours to compete with the other one. And then a Sainsbury's opened.<br><br>I moved over here after a few months, but their custom had dwindled to almost nothing, as Sainsburys was undercutting them and offering a wider selection on everything. Sure, some customers tried to stay loyal, but that wasn't enough to keep the shop afloat. The same is likely to happen here - poor small shop. <br><br>Mind you, does anyone have any idea if/when the Sainsburys will actually be opening? Seems to have been under construction for a very very very very very very long time. <br>

rainbow_carnage

I don't know how Stroud Green Road can support two Sainsbury's, one Tesco, plus a handful of smaller shops. Who's going to shop at all these second-rate stores?<br><br>We get most of our groceries delivered. We get veg from Ash's shop, fish from France Fresh Fish and beer from whatever off-license is closest and open. I pop into Tesco a couple times a month. I've never been to the Crouch Hill Sainsbury's and have no plans to shop at the new one. Nothing against the brand. I just hate these tiny branches, filled with two-day-old sandwiches and ready meals.<br>

yagamuffin

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">The two Sainsbury's are more like small convenience stores for the local population, not supermarkets per say that people would travel to.</font><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">I'm sure the shop across the road will survive, purely because on the rare occasion I go in they never having anything I recognise! So long as the new Sainsbury's doesn't start catering to the eastern European community I am sure both can survive.</font></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Depending on my laziness I can see the new Sainsbury's taking my custom from Londis.</div>