Chango - New local gem alert!

[Sue]

42 minutes ago, HeadNun said:

Not only can he turn olive oil into Vermouth, but also water into a wine. A true miracle worker. 

I wouldn't say a wine shop sells a wide variety of things - and there are two right next to each other.

According to what I can see online, Dynamic Vines and Cave de Bruno sell totally different kinds of wine to each other. 

Dynamic Vines  "work with independent winemakers who produce outstanding wine using sustainable practices in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar". 

Cave de Bruno specialises in French wines and spirits from small independent producers.

So two different USPs, and no doubt two different but overlapping customer bases who can afford these wines.

Probably different again to the people mainly  shopping for wine at Majestic or the Co op.

On the other hand, the two empanada shops appear on the face of it to be selling virtually identical products.

But time will tell, won't it? Let's see how they are both doing in - say - a couple of years' time.

Impossible, of course, to compare that with how they would have done if there had been only one of them.

I just feel more  sorry for the original one than for  the one which can apparently already afford to have a number of shops in places like Mayfair and Highgate.

I'm tempted to buy something there every week, and I don't even like that kind of pastry 🤣

Edited July 28 by Sue

[Earl Aelfheah]

I like empanadas. I don't think Chango is a massive chain - it's got a few stores all in London I believe (stand to be corrected if I've got that wrong). I don't see a problem with them opening on the Lane personally. I really like Chacarero, but that doesn't mean that they should be immune from competition - if they're successful and open a couple more stores, are we then meant to stop supporting them for being a 'chain'? 

That opening post does sound a lot like marketing spiel though. Is the OP perhaps connected to the new business I wonder?

[Sue]

28 minutes ago, Earl Aelfheah said:

I like empanadas. I don't think Chango is a massive chain - it's got a few stores all in London I believe (stand to be corrected if I've got that wrong). I don't see a problem with them opening on the Lane personally. I really like Chacarero, but that doesn't mean that they should be immune from competition - if they're successful and open a couple more stores, are we then meant to stop supporting them for being a 'chain'? 

That opening post does sound a lot like marketing spiel though. Is the OP perhaps connected to the new business I wonder?

A Google search brought up eleven Chango  branches, although they don't all seem to be listed on their website.

In the order they came up:

East Dulwich, Clapham Common, Mayfair, Wandsworth, City of London, Wimbledon,  Parsons Green, Kensington, Highgate, Richmond, Hampstead.

I think it is the positioning of this new branch that has mostly got to me.

I accept that they would have to go for where a space became vacant, but Lordship Lane is pretty long, even just the part with shops in,  and choosing to  open a stone's throw away from Chacarero seems mean, to say the least.

I wonder if they have made contact with Chacarero. It would be nice to think they had (in a friendly way, obviously!)

As regards the apparent  marketing spiel, at least one of the online reviewers also refers to a Chango branch (the Parsons Green one in this case) as a "gem".

Probably just coincidence and a word in common use to describe such places. I wouldn't know. I'm ancient 🤣

Edited July 28 by Sue
Typo

[jazzer]

Try Gentrification, those with more money than sense who constantly want something different, when pie and mash isn't good enough for them.  "Argentinian Cornish pasties" give3 me a proper Cornish pastie any day of the week, at least I'd be supporting something traditionally British.  

ps. tin hat at the ready........................🤣

[Angelina]

why not have a pasty shop - we could have Cornish pasties, Jamaican patties, empanadas from all the different regions....

I like all three. 

I'm still going to support the Chacarero family business, as I don't support chains, just as I don't buy anything from Gail's, Nero, Starbucks etc.

[Insuflo]

7 hours ago, Angelina said:

why not have a pasty shop - we could have Cornish pasties, Jamaican patties, empanadas from all the different regions....

I like all three. 

That would be a corniche market. Ahem.

[satsuma]

On 26/07/2025 at 19:11, rMattos said:

Haha fair! Not an ad @Peckhampam  — just genuinely excited to have something new (and tasty) pop up in the neighbourhood. Thought I’d share in case others hadn’t spotted it yet. Always good to support local!

I agree with you @Sue, yeah it’s a bold move! Maybe they’re betting on empanadas becoming the next sourdough? In any case, nice to have options — curious to see how both do.

This is 100% a bot reply.

[the_hermit]

Heh yeah haven't even bothered to remove the emdash.

The OP is AI slop as well.

[beansprout]

Well I don’t approve for a shop doing the same food to open so near - just wrong in my opinion.

Why not go to the village, Peckham - foot fall would be great in Peckham and certainly more multi  cultural than ED. Village has money but doubt foot fall would be as good as ED. 

At least they could have gone to the stretch leading up to Peckham Rye or why not bottom of Barry Road??

Or even North Cross Road

I for one, on principal won’t be going in.

[Moovart]

This is just normal business behaviour. That's why there are so many coffee shops in ED and shops selling gifts and interiors stuff, clothes, restaurants.  If there's more than one business of a similar type then it can benefit all of them up to a saturation point and keep up quality. It's all sounding like many think Chango has made a malicious move when it actually sounds like it's owned by one guy who has a good business that has done well.   Anyway this is all great advertising for both empanada places.

Very close by is the organic grocer who sells really good value and very tasty samosas and other Indian snacks which are also worth trying. 

[Angelina]

1 hour ago, the_hermit said:

Heh yeah haven't even bothered to remove the emdash.

The OP is AI slop as well.

I didn't know there was a word for that — thanks!

[Earl Aelfheah]

17 hours ago, Sue said:

n the order they came up:

East Dulwich, Clapham Common, Mayfair, Wandsworth, City of London, Wimbledon,  Parsons Green, Kensington, Highgate, Richmond, Hampstead.

Well I did say I stand to be corrected! Fair enough, their website only seemed to list three branches. Perhaps it's a franchise model? 

15 minutes ago, Moovart said:

This is just normal business behaviour. That's why there are so many coffee shops in ED and shops selling gifts and interiors stuff, clothes, restaurants.  If there's more than one business of a similar type then it can benefit all of them up to a saturation point and keep up quality.

It's known as 'agglomeration' in economics

1 hour ago, the_hermit said:

Heh yeah haven't even bothered to remove the emdash.

Rookie error.

[Sue]

1 hour ago, Moovart said:

This is just normal business behaviour. That's why there are so many coffee shops in ED and shops selling gifts and interiors stuff, clothes, restaurants.  If there's more than one business of a similar type then it can benefit all of them up to a saturation point and keep up quality.

It's all sounding like many think Chango has made a malicious move when it actually sounds like it's owned by one guy who has a good business that has done well.   Anyway this is all great advertising for both empanada places.

Very close by is the organic grocer who sells really good value and very tasty samosas and other Indian snacks which are also worth trying. 

The shops selling gifts, interior stuff and clothes all sell different gifts, interiors stuff and clothes.

They don't all have identical items, which would be ridiculous. It's a  completely different situation.

The coffee shops and restaurants mostly also have different vibes, different food etc and cater to different tastes and pockets.

The two empanada places have virtually identical displays of identical looking empanadas.

I don't think anyone has suggested this move is "malicious" - that would make it even worse. Cheeky, yes, given the proximity to the first shop.

I agree this is good advertising, though most people in ED probably don't look at the ED Forum (I stand to be corrected).

Re the "organic grocer", if it's the one on the same side as Chango, yes their snacks are very tasty.  Unfortunately we were short changed there on several occasions when calling in late at night, and were once asked  a ridiculous price for a few items (with no price tickets on the snacks) so we don't go there any more.

Hopefully these were all genuine mistakes, and hopefully things have improved since their refurb.

[alice]

There’s got to be something else happening in ED to stop this now very dull thread. 

[ed_pete]

18 minutes ago, alice said:

There’s got to be something else happening in ED to stop this now very dull thread. 

Roadworks ? 🙂

[Sue]

1 hour ago, alice said:

There’s got to be something else happening in ED to stop this now very dull thread. 

Another lost cat (hopefully soon to be found)?

More postal delays?

More sofas  for sale?

Actually, re the post, isn't this the week the delivery days change to alternate days  for second class post and nothing at weekends (or something like that)?

That must merit a new and exciting thread, surely 😀

Edited July 29 by Sue

[Insuflo]

I ordered an empanada and Royal Mail haven’t delivered it because of the roadworks. Bloody Southwark Council.

[jazzer]

9 hours ago, satsuma said:

This is 100% a bot reply.

Sour dough, it#s an import, give us back our OWN bread. 

The Cheese Block sell samosas 

[FellbriggSam]

On 27/07/2025 at 14:46, Insuflo said:

More of a Steak Bake kinda thing, then.

tried the traditional beef empanada yesterday and it was amazing honestly, hotter and better than the other place (no offence!).

I really don’t see the issue with having more than one of the same type of shop – we’ve got Indian restaurants, two supermarkets, two cheese shops, two pizza joints, even two paint shops! So I don’t get what all the fuss is about.

Good food is good food, and there’s room for everyone.

[Earl Aelfheah]

47 minutes ago, FellbriggSam said:

I really don’t see the issue with having more than one of the same type of shop – we’ve got Indian restaurants, two supermarkets, two cheese shops, two pizza joints, even two paint shops! So I don’t get what all the fuss is about.

Good food is good food, and there’s room for everyone.

I agree with this. There are lot's of shops selling similar foods. And the two shops aren't positioned that close together - further from each other than say Franco Manca and Yard Sale, or Bruno's and Dynamic Wines, etc.

[Sue]

56 minutes ago, Earl Aelfheah said:

I agree with this. There are lot's of shops selling similar foods. And the two shops aren't positioned that close together - further from each other than say Franco Manca and Yard Sale, or Bruno's and Dynamic Wines, etc.

I imagine Franco Manca's business dropped off quite a bit when Yard Sale opened (though isn't Yard Sale delivery only?)

But in any case, both of those are chains.

[Azalea]

On 30/07/2025 at 10:00, Sue said:

I imagine Franco Manca's business dropped off quite a bit when Yard Sale opened (though isn't Yard Sale delivery only?)

But in any case, both of those are chains.

Yard Sale does have some seating but not as much as FM.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Bit of a stretch to call it a "local gem" when it's part of a chain, though...

[beansprout]

Such a pity there is not, apart from Spinach a decent affordable vegetarian.. there is a stall in North Cross Market which does really yummy food and different one in Herne Hill Market… both tell me they can’t afford the rents charged on spaces… 

I wonder if there is a community space available?

Know Kingswood House might be interested but that is such a hike..

[Moovart]

There is Trinco as well on Lordship Lane.  Tasty and reasonable Sri Lankan food.

Amrutha in Honor Oak is vegan and v good.

Both worth a visit.