Starbucks leaving Wanstead?

screen-shot-2016-12-12-at-13-32-56It looks like Starbucks is quitting Wanstead. The premises it has occupied for the past few years is being marketed by estate agents Kemsley. It’s a bit of a shocker – it is always busy, and coffee shops seem to be the one things which thrives on Wanstead High Street. Can anyone make sense of it?
(HT Trevor)

43 thoughts on “Starbucks leaving Wanstead?”

  1. Can’t remember the last time I went in there. At least a couple of years. Good for the independents but a shop that size with probably a huge rent will be taken by another chain.

    2. Someone will probably come in and run a place where you can get a coffee while you get your nails done and check how much your house is worth today, and all with free parking for 18 hours.

    1. Doubt it. Most high streets recognise that majority don’t drive there and that restricting cars will make it a nicer destination for the majority. In fact the cars that regularly park half on the pavement in front of Starbucks I’ll be glad to see the back of when there’s more wardens about.

    1. Terrible coffee and slow, uppity staff. (Prob not all, but there’s one woman who has the social finesse of Trump and the happy demeanour of Eeyore. She’s probably the reason the coffee is so sour.)

  16. That’s disappointing, I find Starbucks a lot cosier than the independent coffee shops, it’s got comfortable seating and carpet, the indes generally have wooden or metal dining chairs or benches and hard flooring.
    Interesting to see what comes next…

  18. Interesting I know this one is a franchise and I’ve seen a few two for one offers in there recently (which is unheard of in ‘normal’ Starbucks).

  20. One for cmarkr – It is easy to see what will come next, look around the high street.. Another empty overpriced unit.

    Won’t be long before Chicken Shops start popping up to fill the spaces.. Would you prefer Starbucks over a Perfect Fried Chicken/Kebbabish Original?

    1. Hi Trevor, thank you for your reply, iuat admit, I feel we have an excess of deep fried chicken and Turkish ‘meze’ vendors for my taste but I guess if that’s what the local market now demands, maybe we’ll see white flight in Wanstead before too long.
      As for empty retail units as a result of excess rents, that is the price for market controls – leases must be protected by law and therefore it can be more financially beneficial for a landlord to have a property empty until a higher rent tenant comes along than to rent it out below market value in order for it to be utilisedb in the short term. The macroeconomical question is then whether that’s the best balance.

  21. Shame as I for one don’t want to see another empty unit. There’s too many and it makes the High Street look depressing. Why aren’t local businesses working together to lobby landlords, the local authority, central government to push the interests of our High Street? We could start by modelling ourselves on other, successful high streets and see how they do it, attracting different businesses in the same way we did with The Ginger Pig. BTW, where is the Wanstead Association when you need it?

  22. I find it quite funny – but also sad, that so many downbeat comments are made about the profusion of coffee shops and nail bars in Wanstead. When will people remember that its only if they SHOP in SHOPS regularly (and spend more than a couple of pounds on a loaf of bread when they do so) that what they may consider to be ‘useful’ shops will never be able to survive here or anywhere else, if people don’t spend money in them. A shop cant pay its rent and rates on smug noises alone! We get what we spend money on – its as simple as that – if we go out and spend real money in the shops in Wanstead – it may just keep them open…..

  23. Some people are so negative on here. “Yet another empty shop front”?! Yes there are the odd few empty shops on the High Street but there are many successful businesses in between. From some of the comments you’d think Wanstead is a ghost town

  26. The long awaited poppy pantry opened at the city of London cemetery last weekend , The first weekend was very busy with people queuing to get a look at the new set up , In pride of place in the tea room is a framed Tower of London Poppy.Wirh the addition of free unlimited parking this place is well worth a visit .

  27. You can never get a seat there anyway as it’s full of 6th form students using the WiFi while stretching out a cappuccino for two hours ! – Starbucks simply don’t think it’s worth the investment/return – plus the rent has probably gone up 50%.

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