Independent cafés hold certain advantages over chains like Caffé Nero during COVID, according to Stirling hotspot The Book Nook.
Caffé Nero yesterday declared their business has been “decimated” due the pandemic and has launched a Company Voluntary Arrangement which allows renegotiations with landlords and creditors.
As second lockdowns loom across the UK, many of the chain’s 800 stores have turned to takeaway only services, but lack of footfall in town-centres has Caffé Nero executives concerned for the company’s future, according to the BBC.
The size and value of the company, which employs over 6,000 staff members in its cafés, could create more problems than solutions according to The Book Nook’s Leanne Brown, 29, despite its financial backing.
Being an independent café has certain advantages to chains like Caffé Nero
Brown opened The Book Nook alongside co-owner Jasmine Stenhouse, 26, amid the pandemic in June 2020. “We’ve never actually traded during a time when COVID wasn’t a thing,” Brown said.
Compared to chains like Caffé Nero, “there’s only so much money small indies can squirrel away for emergencies,” but she believes their independence offers other advantages.
“I think our customers will make more of an effort to support us during these times than Caffé Nero’s customers would,” Brown said. Regulars of The Book Nook are more loyal as the atmosphere of being an independent café is more personal.
Caffé Nero’s plead to postpone rent is a little frustrating to see, Brown said, as independents don’t have that opportunity. “But it’s always been like that. The more money a company makes, the more they have to lose.
“I mostly feel sorry for the staff that are employed by companies like that, and the constant stress they must feel at hearing stuff like that in the news,” she continued. “It’s not the directors who lose their money, it’s regular staff who lose their jobs.”
Ensuring their staff feel happy and secure is very important to The Book Nook’s co-owners, Brown said. “Jasmine and I have both worked jobs where bosses kept things from you, or didn’t reassure you that things were going to okay.
“We always said we’d never be like that and our staff feeling secure is probably our number one priority, especially now. Owning a business is stressful, but it’s definitely worse to be a regular employee,” she said.
The Book Nook is currently open in Stirling amid tier three restrictions, with plans to open as a takeaway only service if the area enters tier four.
Image Credit: Go Forth Stirling
Related Articles
Modern masculinity and the rise of Scottish wrestling
Modern Masculinity and the Rise of Scottish Wrestling By roslyn scott Wrestling in Scotland has seen an inexorable rise in popularity this past decade, with promoters like Mark Dallas bringing the sport firmly into the mainstream. But Dallas’s company Insane...
Edinburgh tour guide explores the city’s LGBTQ+ history
Edinburgh tour guide explores the city’s LGBTQ+ history 0 Comments December 2, 2020 Edinburgh is known for its gruesome past and ghost tours with visitors taking any opportunity for a scare. Hannah Mackay has launched her own tour that provides...
Hibs launch Christmas tree charity campaign
Hibs launch Christmas tree charity campaign 0 Comments December 2, 2020 Hibernian FC have decided to bring some light to the Lothians this Christmas with a charity campaign to raise money for NHS workers. Whether it’s holding someone’s hand...