Just seen this - are we at chain tipping point locally?

[Louisa]

Just came across this on Rightmove. I apologise if anyone else has posted about it. It seems the lease is up for grabs on this local independent. Does this mean it will close? Or is the freehold being sold with the existing business remaining in place?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/commercial-property-for-sale/property-29427123.html

Louisa.

[Nigello]

"Neighbouring occupiers include Caffe Nero, Oliver Bonas, White Stuff and Jojo Maman Bebe" says the spiel. Louisa, your tingling spidey senses just might be right?..

[grace3]

Yes it will all go 'pear shaped' soon again.

[Loz]

?800k including a flat? Am I completely in the dark on business property, or is this a bargain for ED?

[Louisa]

Seems a bargain Loz. The estate agent spin, as Nigello points out, seems to be directly aimed at interested chains. Feels like we have turned a corner, maybe we will be re-branded as East Clapham.

Louisa.

[maxxi]

If I read it right it's two properties - one freehold one leasehold - that have been knocked into one. How does that work when buying/selling? Maybe cheap because the lease is short?

[maxxi]

Louisa Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Seems a bargain Loz. The estate agent spin, as

> Nigello points out, seems to be directly aimed at

> interested chains. Feels like we have turned a

> corner, maybe we will be re-branded as East

> Clapham.

>

> Louisa.

Surely this kind of expensive boutiquey deli is very Cla'am? Maybe the backlash has begun and it'll be a Greggs?

[edcam]

Well that's depressing. It has felt like it's had its day for a while now though.

[Louisa]

maxxi Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Surely this kind of expensive boutiquey deli is

> very Cla'am? Maybe the backlash has begun and

> it'll be a Greggs?

Haha wouldn't that be funny. But to be honest I adore Ayres of Nunhead so if they expanded into Lordship Lane I'd be like a pig in muck.

Louisa.

[Peckhamrye]

For over a year they have had loads of empty shelf space, trying to fill it at Christmas with panetonne....said, but I am not surprised.

[DrinkingBuddy]

Its relatively rare around here for shops to own their retail premesis. If EDD doesn't but has a sound lease the sale would be purely for of the building with the deli unaffected. Indeed given the price that would be my guess as a sitting Tennant with a long lease would suppress the price.

[Jeremy]

My thoughts exactly DB. If it were effectively two vacant shops plus a one bed flat, it would surely be a lot more expensive.

[Bumpkin]

About a week ago, I was told by one of the shop owners on L Lane that the deli was going to close shortly (not by the deli owners themselves though)..

[Earl Aelfheah]

That's a real shame. Depressing

[StraferJack]

as others have said, it's clearly been struggling for years. When it opened the righthand side was regularly-refreshed with a wide range of stuff. For years it has been nothing but piles of repeating dried goods

the bread, meat and cheeses on the other side - all very lovely - but they didn't need such large premises to sell them (and the layout actually got in the way as often as not)

is the concession in Harrods still going?

[ed_pete]

Looks like it:

http://www.harrods.com/content/the-store/restaurants/east-dulwich-deli

[cle]

As Strafer said, the right hand side is just shelves of old pasta - and every supermarket sells countless varieties of De Cecco and Seggiano stuff now that it's hardly deli worthy.

Delis rarely survive without being a coffee shop/resto/wine bar foremost. The nice fresh produce is all expensive, perishable and fiddly. The dried stuff is ubiquitous. The right hand side has those great windows, perfect for a cafe.

[StraferJack]

which is what it will almost certainly become. Costa anyone?

(given Nero and SB have a presence already?)

[Jeremy]

I don't see why they couldn't half the floorspace, reduce their rent, and still shift almost as much stuff (the deli counter seems to be their... er.. bread and butter). People complain about the service, but I like the shop. It was one of the original trailblazers, along with Franklins, Cheeseblock, Blue Mountain, etc. ED would be worse off if these guys hadn't set up shop years ago.

[Penguin68]

Once supermarkets began to stock reasonable ranges of quality deli-style produce the writing was on the wall for a general deli without a real distinguishing USP - the Cheese Block does it through a single specialism - with most other things carried linked to that (i.e. breads, biscuits, pickles). Others offer a good range of prepared dishes of a far higher quality/ freshness than you get at supermarkets - often providing a catering service as well as eat-in opportunities. Their trading model was being overtaken - maybe they could have re-invented themselves - deli one side and small cafe on the other was a possibility but would have needed considerable re-design (and would not have been that cheap to do well, which local competition (i.e. Eat) would have demanded.

[Earl Aelfheah]

StraferJack Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> which is what it will almost certainly become.

> Costa anyone?

>

> (given Nero and SB have a presence already?)

Where's the Starbucks?

[Penguin68]

Where's the Starbucks?

Up the road in Sainsbury's on DKH - mind you that's a few hundred yards from LL - and a Starbucks every few 100 yards is normally the recipe.

[Louisa]

If the other planning applications for chains come to fruition later this year I think the EDD and Londis will be just the first of many small units to follow suit. They will surely be pretty small uncomfortable versions of larger chains though in those tiny Victorian retail spaces, capitalism light.

Louisa.

[unlurked]

As have clearly stated in the Ooh a new cinema is coming thread with local libdem politicos in league with private chain businesses, eg the cinema, M&S etc, the green light has been given to all chains to turn LL into a dross filled flat pack high street shopping precint to remove choice and line pockets of huge environment destroying fat cat companies. You got what your short sightedness wanted.

[Zebedee Tring]

Oh, a new CHAIN cinema is coming in order to wreck LL. We would be so much better without ANY cinema in LL at all.