Stafford shops opening - Turning into a boom town?

pop80_uk

Well-Known Forumite
Is this a thing now? Dessert shops? I see them more and more and they seem to be really popular, the idea and concept is a little alien to me, but I don't particularly have a sweet tooth and apparently I am also, ahem, careful, with my money.

I kind of agree with this, its a surprise to me as well.
I have a sweet tooth, but I have not been into these dessert shops as I can not really justify spending £15 on a dessert and drink, when really what I would most the want is a main meal.

A dessert is something which follows a meal, not the actual meal itself.

Does that make sense?

I guess there must be a huge market for it, but I don't really understand the appeal myself
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
It's moving to the Hough so not actually closing as it will actually gave larger premises.

I'm glad it's going as it's overpriced crap and, in my opinion, the least friendly of all the coffee shops. Will give a little breathing space to our local independents.
I don't think its "moving" per se but I get what you mean. The Starbucks in town is run by Starbucks themselves the one in the Hough will be a franchise....

Scrap that I've just seen a later comment !
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
It’s not moving. The current Starbucks is operated by Starbucks, the new drive-through model is to be a franchise model.

I like Starbucks, regardless of how they manage thier taxes - I like their coffee, I like being able to get what I want wherever I am in the country/world and I love a pumpkin spice late.

The store in Stafford is always busy, a friend of my girlfriend works there and the staff are to be made redundant. The greed of the property owner is a great problem, one that is common in all town centres.
Exactly...and as for their tax payment, blame the government for not having the right system/checks and balances in place...
 

Mikinton

Well-Known Forumite
New Hough Starbucks is a franchise & as such has no responsibility to take on the REAL Starbucks staff.
Is this the old Frankie and Benny's?

I should have mentioned it Tuesday, but I went to park on their car park before walking into town and was told very politely by someone purporting to be the new owner that I'd be parking on private property. We had a friendly chat, I moved the car to the far end of the car park (past Argos) and then headed into town.
 

Entropy

Well-Known Forumite
It's moving to the Hough so not actually closing as it will actually gave larger premises.

I'm glad it's going as it's overpriced crap and, in my opinion, the least friendly of all the coffee shops. Will give a little breathing space to our local independents.

Never been a fan of Starf**ks....last 2 times I was in there (and against my will) the only real option for non hot drink drinkers (thats me) was a massively over priced can of innocent...£2!! £2 for a drink of mildly effervescent guff........both recent times also met with really a shitty attitude from the staff too. Sorry that they are loosing their jobs, that sucks big ones, but still.....
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Is this the old Frankie and Benny's?

I should have mentioned it Tuesday, but I went to park on their car park before walking into town and was told very politely by someone purporting to be the new owner that I'd be parking on private property. We had a friendly chat, I moved the car to the far end of the car park (past Argos) and then headed into town.
No, its being built next to Argos....there was planning permission for a 2 storey McDonalds drive through but its since changed.
 

Entropy

Well-Known Forumite
and coffee based.........which to me, is like the smell of a freshly squeezed dog t**d steeped in hot water.....or cold if you so wish....

Anyways.....back on topic......
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Is this the old Frankie and Benny's?

I should have mentioned it Tuesday, but I went to park on their car park before walking into town and was told very politely by someone purporting to be the new owner that I'd be parking on private property. We had a friendly chat, I moved the car to the far end of the car park (past Argos) and then headed into town.

Sounds like it may become an office building. Which is okay, it would be nice to have an office building that doesn't look like every other office in Stafford. They're either flat and plastic, old and grotty, or all look the same ala Stafford Tech Park*. Or all of the above.

*I should note I have nothing against the tech park, but the fact that most of the buildings are electric heaters and pretty dingy and cold is rather off-putting when looking for something fairly modern to provide a nice working environment. Some of them have been nicely done up but they're rarely the ones up for rent.
 

Jade-clothing

Well-Known Forumite
Some work being done in the old Motorworld shop on the corner of Princes street today - anyone heard what it's going to be?
 

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
If the supposed café culture is so strong in Stafford town centre, a very successful national chain would be staying in the town centre.

Only time will tell whether Stafford will eat enough deserts.

Like any business, national or otherwise profit margin has to be considered against rising costs which can be rent and increasingly shared footfall.

If a landlord put rent up so high to hit profit margins potentially hitting profit or a business less sustainable then why stay?!

The current starbucks premises is well overpriced in rent and as I have mentioned before there have been issues with the building and the landlord to my understanding in getting things sorted/ fixed.

Many chains have used the threat of pulling out of a premises while negotiating lease terms....in stafford lone see burtons, greenwoods and millets multiple times, even the Works could be coming back to stafford for a third time, and more recently trespass and monsoon have used negotiating tactics..

From a business angle there is also business savvy to take into account. Is the town becoming over saturated with the same thing, so it makes sense to look at an avenue to increase footfall and revenue and tapping into something others are not. So getting into a significant premises on a commonly used retail park with free parking on a main route makes complete business sense. Think of it as an expansion or upgrade. Clever really.
 

jacs

Well-Known Forumite
and coffee based.........which to me, is like the smell of a freshly squeezed dog t**d steeped in hot water.....or cold if you so wish....

Anyways.....back on topic......
They do fruit based ones too. My husband always has a strawberry and cream frap, which is a bit like a milkshake. They do less sickly fruit ones.
 
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