Forum Topic

BARCLAYS SOUTH EALING

Looks like serious work going on there today.Any rumours?

Simon Wycombe ● 3758d56 Comments

I did make that very point. Looks like same person owns them.

Simon Wycombe ● 3703d

Things need smartening up south of Popes lane on South Ealing Road.Does anyone know what these properties consist of with their glass window shops fronts covered with dirty net curtains? And generally shabby fronts.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4980216,-0.3057424,3a,90y,249.81h,91.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9vjH14A25YBcU4AEbtCzdQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656^ copy and past the link.Are they purely residential with dubious land lords?It would be nice (and its all possibly pie in the sky) but the removal of a few chicken and betting shops wouldn't go amiss. But ultimately what would replace them? Maybe more of the same that Northfields Ave has, unique deli's, boutique shops selling nick-nacks etc?

Lee Page ● 3704d

Perhaps it's a suggestion/indication that other businesses may follow?Wickes to become Waitrose anyone?

Simon Wycombe ● 3704d

I find the article, "South Ealing..On The Up", on the front page slightly amusing.  Isn't Costa already everywhere across London?  Certainly in such salubrious nearby locations such as Greenford, Perivale, West Ealing and Wembley. Is that what South Ealing is aspiring to?

Philip Coe ● 3704d

It was very very busy on Sat. Not sure if that's because it's new.Let us know if you have paid a visit

Simon Wycombe ● 3710d

Should we change the headline to Costa , South Ealing?

Simon Wycombe ● 3714d

Someone was saying that, like bookmakers, coffee shops follow each other so maybe a Starbucks will soon be in South Ealing? Can't think where though.

Simon Wycombe ● 3714d

Strange choice location wise I feel but there's obviously going to be footfall due to the station.It's not exactly the worst business you could have opening up on your small high street is it?And looking at where they are I'd say it opens tomorrow.I wish them every success

Colin Goodman ● 3717d

I must say the number of tables in a cafe baffles me as a planning requirement. Anyone expand on the rationale?

Philip Coe ● 3717d

There is no planning application filed. I wonder if the Costa franchise will open without planning permission claiming it only has three tables, or that 85 to 90 per cent of its traffic is take out and hence in is not actually a cafe?I forgot to mention that a Costa franchisee will also be minimum purcahse requirement on all products sold that all coem from Costa. Franchisees are required to buy certain amounts of Costa products regularly and even pay Costa a percentage of the profits.

Zbigniew Borodin ● 3717d

That may be on the planning application, which I couldn't find.

Simon Wycombe ● 3717d

The thing is that Costa is not spending the money, it is a Costa franchise. How this works is that the franchisee (who could be you or me or another company with a few Costa franchises) puts up around £250,000 (according to a cafe proprietor friend ofmine) to buy in as a franchisee. They then buy all their consimables, napkins, coffee, etc., from Costa on an on-going basis in the expection of making a profit on this venture in the medium- to long-term. The franchisee owns the lease on the property and is responsible for its upkeep, etc. A lot of shops that we assume are owned by the company name that they are trading under aren't. For example, most McDonalds in Ealing are franchises, as is the Co-op in South Ealing, and many of the brand name fast food shops. Even the Cafe Rouge chain is franchised.It would be interesting to know who the legal operator of the Costa shop in Ealing is. I.e. the actual franchisee.

Zbigniew Borodin ● 3717d

But surely Costa or any company spending that kind of money on a refurb would not leave themselves open to such an extent. Would they?

Simon Wycombe ● 3717d

I have had my information corrected by a local cafe proprietor and it seems that Ealing Council limits an A1 coffee shop to three tables maximum above which he had to get an A3 cafe licence. Seated customers in other London boroughs guidelines state "10-15 percent seated" so its fewer tables than I though however a few more customers seated.

Zbigniew Borodin ● 3719d

That depends. The Costa is being refurbished and proceeding on the understanding that it is an A1 licenced coffee shop. In Ealing that limits it to four tables; in other boroughs it would limit it to 10 percent seated customers and 90 percent takeout business. Another more than that you require an A3 licence which is higher than that of a bank (A2) and would need new planning permission. Here is the question as to whether it is a good thing or not: to have customers on the premises (or staff) it needs public liability insurance at the very least. So what happens if a customer or a memeber of staff is injured in a Costa which now has more than four tables (or 10 percence sit down business) and is operating under an A1 provision, but which does not have an A3 cafe licence or insurance for an A3 cafe premises - very simply the insurance company will not pay up and the managers might get sued...

Zbigniew Borodin ● 3719d

Apart from not having a Bank, it has to be  a good thing for the area.

Simon Wycombe ● 3720d

Some prayers have been answered. Costa it is - well two thirds of it.

Philip Coe ● 3720d

Can you think of a realistic  site for it? Either the Co-Op or Wickes are all I can think of.

Simon Wycombe ● 3738d

A piece I read in a newspaper about property prices said that the prices went up when a Waitrose arrived. The same article said that house prices went down when an Aldi or Lidl arrived. I have spent thirty years at the same address and will quite probably still be here when the current property bubble bursts so I would rather have better value so I would like an Aldi or a LIDL in South Ealing.

Nigel Eric Dunwoody ● 3742d

How about you try Googling "coffee msg hoax" instead? Chain coffee does NOT contain MSG, nicotine, extra caffeine or other additives. These are urban myths or hoaxes, otherwise known as lies. Shame on you for spreading lies without checking properly. (That doesn't mean I'd like to see 'Big Coffee' moving into South Ealing and forcing out the independent cafes, just that I'm not willing to pass on myths and lies in order to turn others against them.)

Bryan Betts ● 3742d

Funnily enough my wife got an Aldi fillet steak (didn't tell me until I had eaten it)but it was very nice.Now a Waitrose in South Ealing and property prices would rise immediately!

Simon Wycombe ● 3743d

If you have never bought anything from LIDL I think you would be surprised. I was prejudiced against LIDL for many years until I tried it. Where somewhere like Waitrose/Sainsbury/Tesco/Morrisons has twenty types of say, baked neans, LIDL has one (its own). In a LIDL store you are not subjected to the marketing psychology and branding of the big chains. I find it a much less stressful experience shopping in LIDL than in other stores as I don't have choose between dozens of differently packaged and branded version of the same thing at different shelf levels.

Eddie Maltus ● 3743d

Aren't they all, horrible stuff?Your Aldi/Lidl etc would be fine but definitely not as up- market as Waitrose/StarBuck's etc.I am not the snob you think I am , by the way!

Simon Wycombe ● 3743d

Actually I think that the community would benefit from an ALDI, LIDL, Wilkinsons, and perhaps an Argos as well. I would have suggested a Waitrose until I found that its wasabi powder was largely horseradish.

Eddie Maltus ● 3743d

Sasha, they were back today. Call the Police.

Simon Wycombe ● 3743d

Hi Eddie. No hate zone but you have to agree that the shops by Chandos/Lawrence etc are an eye sore. The previous eye sore is now South View Lodge and looks far,far better. Whitestile Rd is beginning of TW8 so you can include the bit opposite Clayponds by Darwin as part of my HZ if you wish. That would also benefit from an upgrade. Perhaps Starbucks south of Popes Lane):

Simon Wycombe ● 3743d

Simon!South Ealing stops just after the Ealing Park Tavern. It is Brentford after that (boroough of Hounslow).What is wrong with the Ealing Park Tavern and Montys and even the Brothers Kebab then? They fall in your hate zone.How is a Costa franchise going to help the area south of Popes Lane and north of the A4/M4?If we go that far south what is wrong with Toolstation, Screwfix, Arco, AT&T Electrical Supplies,etc.?

Eddie Maltus ● 3743d

Most of S Ealing is fine. It's the shops south of Popes Lane before you get to M4 that let it down.Costa is a big + for those who need to turn right (ie south) out of the tube station.

Simon Wycombe ● 3744d

Spotting the sign was more than I managed so a gold star to yoy Simon. There is more info on the door including the name of the construction company. Further research on-going.I know what you mean about South Ealing it seems to be full of small shops that survive (?) on tinned booze and never wash their flors (ever0. I hate to be negative as I would like South Ealing to be a nicer placer to live in, however, the best thing that could happen to it would be a string of bankruptcies closing a number of unpleasant shops. Another "franchise" will go the same way of the rest of the shops in South Ealing, that is, a small  investment up front and once established a rapid decline in quality and attitude. I suspect that you probably didn't even notice and brief appearance of a Lnndis that went that way recently.Even th Co-op is a franchise able to set what prices it likes independent of the parent company.I agree with the other commentors on this thread that it is worrying that there is no planning permission yet for this endeavour, and large companies like Costa are not usually that deficient.South Ealing has become a cess pit of small awful shops without adequate planning permission or waste disposal faciities with people living in the store rooms behind them and renting out the office space above them as residential accommodation without paying Council Tax. At least Julian Bell's rental house was well furnished and apportioned and doesn't have eight people living in one room about it!

Svetlana Ogrodka ● 3747d

Fair does. As a Paperback fan you get to know who goes there and who likes it. No trolling whatsoever intended! South Ealing remains a "small town" of curtain twitchers and you would be surprised as to how many live vicariously.

Svetlana Ogrodka ● 3747d

I think you have missed the point,completely.If you live south of SE tube they have been crying out for an uplift to the area and Costa will give it precisely that.

Simon Wycombe ● 3749d

I spotted the sign on window,that's all.

Simon Wycombe ● 3749d

I fail to see why it should be any of you or business what I'm a fan of, or for that matter why you feel the need to troll though social media for information pertaining to myself. I merely stated that there is no damage to the walkway around the old site of the Barclays Bank that Sasha mentioned. Misinformation is never a good thing.

Lee Page ● 3750d

If you look at the Costa website there is the following information:IndividualDue to the phenomenal growth we have seen in recent years in UK Individual Franchise, we are not recruiting any further franchisees, nor are there any 'new' franchise regions currently available in the UK. We will update this website as and when the situation changes, so please do feel free to check back in the future.There is also an ad on Gumtree dated 19th October for Baristas for a new Costa Coffee franchise in South Ealing.Simon, where did you hear that the old banc was going to be a franchise?

Svetlana Ogrodka ● 3750d

Simon,What's wrong with North of South Ealing Tube Station?

Svetlana Ogrodka ● 3750d

I thought you were a Paperback Coffee fan Lee, or at least that Maria likes it? Why the interest in a Costa in the Barclays, it seems rather a long way from Darwin Road, The Paperback is much closer!

Svetlana Ogrodka ● 3750d

I just think Sasha has a downer on Costa and anything associated with it.Obviously doesn't live South of South Ealing Station.

Simon Wycombe ● 3750d

I walk past the former Barclays every weekday evening, I've not seen any damage.

Lee Page ● 3750d

Really? I doubt that costa soak their beans in MSG, in fact I can't find the slightest of evidence to suggest this. Plus why would kids be drinking coffee in the first place?Personally I wont be a customer but at least it will smarten the street up (yes I know it's a another 'chain') but anything is better than a scruffy looking derelict shop/former bank.

Lee Page ● 3750d

Good. They have been warned by the police and the local councillors have been told. Now we watch and see whether they cut corners again! There is a rear access road and if Mleczko could manage with that during their building work this lot can

Sasha Sternfield ● 3750d

can't see any damage.

Simon Wycombe ● 3751d

Have they really damaged the pavement as I haven't been by there today?

Simon Wycombe ● 3752d

No, actually I am in favour of the Tesco's at Ealing Green and I have publically stated so.What I am not in fovour of is shysters who open up businesses without the appropraite permissions, checks and processes in place that other similar businesses in the area have had to obtain and at considerable cost and effort.I am also not in favour of the Council having to shell out and then the Council Tax payers and Business Rate payers having to shell out thousands to repair a new pavement where they couldn't be bothered to use the back door.

Sasha Sternfield ● 3752d

Do we always check a planning application every time we visit a shop?I wouldn't dream of checking the planning situation at M& S for eg.You are probably the same,  narrow minded people who didn't want Tesco's at Ealing Green and are happy for the shop to fester away, as it is.

Simon Wycombe ● 3752d

Police called to advise AJ Rubbish Clearing that they should not have their five ton truck up on the pavement outside Barclays/Costa(?) today. AJ Clearance/Barclays told to use rear access road. They have now done this several times. If you see them on the pavement again please call the council. Also, Costa Coffee uses franchises, the cafe opening will not be OWNED by Costa, instead a THIRD-PARTY will own it. It may not even be a cafe, instead a retail outlet with a Costa franchise inside. No planning permission evident for anything that could legally sell coffee or get public liability insureance etc. for a coffee selling outlet. Therefore, AVOID.

Sasha Sternfield ● 3752d

I am bloke so I like a traditional barbers. There are only two that meet that category and the first is Andrews (opposite the Co-op). The second was Andreas next to South Ealing Tube Station, though this now seems to have changed its name to John's Hairdressers for Men. Anywhere that tries to sell me exfoliating shampoo is never visited again.

Victor Piak ● 3755d

Christ Victor -- a proper downer on Costa hey?God knows what you think of the proliferation of Barber shops on the stretch of the road from popes Lane to Ealing Green!!! It's got to be about 16 now if you include down market hairdressersOne or two of those are, shall we say, a bit fruityMan's gotta get his head trimmed though!

Colin Goodman ● 3755d

I have been reminded that is also Panini in South Ealing bringing the number of Cafes with Type 3 licences, and hence legal to four. That is: Panini, Leon's, Nevins and L'Amandine. Hard and long fought for licenses in some cases.

Victor Piak ● 3755d

IMO if one was concerned with improving the area then one would frequent legal establishments with planning permission and proper licensing such as Leon's, Nevin's or L'Amandine in South Ealing rather than some one new who is breaking the law.

Victor Piak ● 3755d

The auguries are not good for this establishment. The moral flexibility that allows a proprieter to park a five ton flatbed from A1 Rubbish Clearance right up on the pavement destroying it (when there is access from the rear) as well as opening without appropriate planning permission (which means that your insurance covering customers inside the premises while operating is of course invalid) leads one to wonder how this might propagate onto what you are eating of drinking: if you are prepared to break the law and operate illegally what are you prepared to put in your product and what corners are you prepared to cut in its preparation, storage, and in how your business operates?

Victor Piak ● 3755d

ONLY INTERESTED IN COSTA COFFEE IMPROVING THE AREA

Simon Wycombe ● 3755d

If you want your kids to eat lots of monosodium glutamate. The way that these big chains make their coffee so 'tasty' is to dip their beans in msg (monosodium glutamate) before grinding. Suggest Google something like 'health risks msg'.

Victor Piak ● 3755d

Joking aside, I think something like Costa has to be good for South Ealing.Not good for local coffee shops that don't like children or buggies, but good for the area as a whole.

Simon Wycombe ● 3756d

Surely it's got to be another barbers?The stretch of road needs it's 9th

Colin Goodman ● 3757d

A sign on the door suggests a Costa.Now that would bring up the area,in my opinion.Just need south of Popes Lane to smarten up.

Simon Wycombe ● 3758d

I have looked on the council planning website. There is nothing pending or approved for W5 4QG since an advertising hoarding in 2011 therefore all building work there should be considered suspect unless it is for another financial services institution such as a bank or building society. Therefore, this one should be referred to Mssers and Mesdammes Millican, Conti, and Mullins our ward counsillors (and also Phil Taylor ex-Councillor and Effective Ealing Activist (EEA)).

Victor Piak ● 3758d