The Strength of Feeling

Speciality Bites with

Paul Hargreaves

Chief executive of Cotswold Fayre

• Becoming a B Corp
• Top trend predictions for Christmas 2021
• Self-sacrifice: The importance of building a leadership legacy centred on others
• Undercover Boss
• Can/should bosses really be close friends with their staff?

I was fascinated this week to read of a story coming out of Bakewell in Derbyshire, the place that is famous for both Bakewell Tart and Bakewell Pudding

In the onslaught of the multi-nationals on the British High Street, Costa Coffee are trying to set up yet another coffee shop in the town.  Around 6,000 people have signed a petition to block the move following a similar pattern in Totnes, Devon, where Costa withdrew after 5,750 signatures were collected against it. In that case the firm said it “recognised the strength of feeling” against brands.  At least to the best of my knowledge Costa pay taxes to the UK government, unlike their main competitor – Starbucks!

Anyway, back to Bakewell. It seems that 6,000 people would rather have an empty building on the High Street than a national chain. (The building has been empty for 2 years.)  This leads me back to my thoughts a couple of weeks ago about what the High Street will look like in 10 years time – maybe I didn’t take into account the feelings against the plethora of coffee shops.

What most interests me , however, about this story is that it has brought two fiercely competitive rivals together.  The Bakewell Tart Shop and the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop have always been competitors, but unity from these two independents (both Cotswold Fayre customers as it heppens) against a national chain has brought them together. Jemma Beagrie, from the pudding shop, said “To be honest we’ve forged a great friendship through fighting Costa together”. They both agree that they want to keep the town independent with “local people having local jobs”.  This backs up what I have always said that it is not the independent farm shop or deli down the road that are our competitor if we are an independent retailer, but the national and international supermarkets that try and take aware our market share.  There is more need than ever before for independents to unite together and push back the onslaught of the mults.  Remember that the vast majority of the public are on our side!

I look forward to continuing this discussion at the annual farm shop conference (FARMA) next week.  Until then, let’s continue to enjoy the good trading that the milder weather seems to have brought over the last week.