A few weeks ago I picked up – via Twitter Search for Hartley Wintney – the proposal to put a Costa Coffee into Hartley Wintney, on the old Wine Rack site. I could find no real confirmation of this until recently the following appeared in the shop window:
…and as-per instruction if you go to http://publicaccess1.hart.gov.uk/online-applications/ and punch the following into the search box:
12/01029/cou
…you can get at all the materials associated with the planning application; I has some problems downloading everything when using Google Chrome but it all worked OK in Safari, so maybe my adblocker was getting in the way.
Nowhere can I find Costa explicitly cited, but the “Agent Name” is “Mr Paul Williams” who (if it is the same person) appears to have form for representing Costa where they propose to open new shops.
The local shops are against it:
…though that might be that they don’t want the competition; another local I met was rather disparaging about the Little House Tea Room & Bistro – where the above strangely-edited sign is housed – and suggested that they could do with the competition. Having Monsoon open in the village did wonders for The Viceroy, so I take his point, but… my opinion?
I’m ambivalent about the need for competition on the Hartley Wintney High Street – we have a lot of coffee shops already but I’m not about to stop someone spending their own money to pursue another one – however I do think that opening a Costa in that location would be the most bone-headed stupid thing you could do with your cash, entirely on the basis of village demographics.
There’s a big gulf between Hartley Wintney versus (say) Fleet, and unless Costa has something special in mind I don’t think they will find the market to support a retail outlet in HW; usually I lovingly make fun of HW by describing it as a town that thinks it’s a long, thin village and largely full of old people made out of tweed and pocket lint who are waiting to die…
So: the elderly won’t touch Costa, I drink vast amounts of coffee but I do it at home, whilst the considerable “yummy mummy” brigade are all semi-professional (ie: working) or get their social fix at the pub (Wagon for the drinkers, Cricketers for the uncaring rich, Phoenix for the westerners) – or coffee mornings at the ever expanding church. The men drink beer or shots in the same pubs respectively, and the chavvier yoof patronise OneStop. Sandwiches are available from both bakers and the OneStop.
Le Petit Cafe vanished a few months ago – its replacement appeared not to sell anything savoury – and Hotel Zuzanka / The Lamb went bust (?) not long before that; the linear parking on the A30 rarely lets people stop near the shop they want to visit so drop-in traffic will be slight…
So where the hell are they going to get their customers from?
I can’t see it working unless it’s some sort of upmarket Costa micro-brand with prices to match, and some of the website commentary reflects this:
Hartley Wintney does not need another coffee shop/food outlet. Hartley Wintney needs another supermarket or Deli. Independent businesses need local support, local young people need work, keep the village a nice enviroment to live and work.
I feel that one thing which Hartley Wintney does not need is another coffee shop. We have already have one in the centre of the village, which has recently been joined by a big brand new one (the Courtyard Cafe) and there are number of other places which do coffee (the Waggon & Horses and Organically Speaking) within a few yards of it. Specifically we do not need a ‘chain’ coffee shop which will be inconsistent with the village’s much valued traditional and individualistic ambience.
I am dissapointed to learn that planning has been submitted for yet another Food outlet. The High Street in Hartley Wintney is already well populated with this kind of outlet which are both Varied and current. I see no need for any further such outlet at this location. I hope this objection is taken under careful consideration.
etc, etc… when I tried the coffee at Organically Speaking it was quite vile and watery – never again will I attempt coffee there – but then I am only 4 minutes walk from “free” and good espresso at home so I haven’t really a need for it in the High Street other than novelty value.
I miss Le Petit Cafe – you could chat with Greg and he’d cook dishes to order, it was quiet, there was wifi (after a fashion) and it had an ambience. Costa, most specifically, will lack the latter, and the food will be prefabricated (Environmental Health: “No objection. No objections are raised on the understanding that hot food production/preparation is not intended, or to be permitted on site”).
I suspect that – if it’s approved and built – it will survive on a diet of middle-class-kids’ pocket money for a while and then collapse.
Update: Final thought: WineRack and all previous chain wine-shops placed on that site have died; Auriol Wines (independent) seems to survive quite well. An independent coffee shop roasting locally (on the premises?) could probably do quite well, eg: Workhouse Coffee from Reading. Costa, not so much.
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