Tulse Hill news, chitter chatter and gossip

[Nanker Phelge]

I've just been told this by the landlord of another pub nearby.

Apparently will be closed and re-opened as a tesco by xmas.

Could just be idle chit chat, and I have no other source of information.

Anyone know if this is true?

 

[story]

Oh Christ... there must be some by-law against this shit.

 

[el-ahrairah]

that's good to hear, there aren't that many tescos around and we could always do with more

 

[Smick]

I can imagine they'd want it with the existing alcohol license and the car park out the back.

It's probably a better site than the W Norwood one for passing traffic.

I wasn't too impressed with the pub the last few times I was in. White Hart is far friendlier.

I'd rather something other than a Tesco though.

 

[Greebo]

that's good to hear, there aren't that many tescos around and we could always do with more

Between the Tesco in W Norwood and the bizarrely crap one on Tulse Hill, I don't see how one on that corner could possibly hold its own. That's before you allow for 2 Co-Ops, 2 small branches of Sainsbury, and the umpteen small newsagents and general shops in the area.

 

[Pinggoombah]

On the other hand, the This That and The Other shop, used to be a Co-op, and now it's becoming a pub.

Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Smick]

Between the Tesco in W Norwood and the bizarrely crap one on Tulse Hill, I don't see how one on that corner could possibly hold its own. That's before you allow for 2 Co-Ops, 2 small branches of Sainsbury, and the umpteen small newsagents and general shops in the area.

Would it not be for South Circular Road traffic rather than exclusively for locals? That is if they can get the parking right. The one on the SCR just before Streatham Hill is a pain in the arse to get stopped.

 

[story]

I reckon this saturation is part of a long-term strategy.

Open as many small local shops as you can, run them at a loss for as long as it takes; local shoppers slowly begin to abandon independent shops and start to use the big brand shop instead. This is driven by aggressively competitive pricing, especially effective in a time of austerity and increased poverty. Small independent shops are driven out of business, leaving behind only the big brand guys. Then the myriad big brand shops close, leaving only one or two larger outlets where all local people are now forced to shop for lack of choice.

This was a proven Starbucks strategy, I think.

One of the unlooked for outcomes for Starbucks was that the increased profile of coffee and coffee outlets led to a desire for more choice and more independence, so it went in a circle: Starbucks saturated an area, put local coffee shops out of business, created an increased local demand for good coffee, which triggered the opening of pioneering independents and anti-Starbucks feeling. I wonder if a similar thing will happen with the supermarkets.

Anyway, this current store war between the big retailers seems a bit sudden and rather determined to simply be coincidental. Looks deliberate to me, which means there has to be some kind of strategy behind it.

 

[Badgers]

I think a lot of it is down to the property assets too. They are in a position to but up decent commercial space. Even if they break even on the food (which they certainly don't) then they have a long term asset increasing in value.

Some supermarket chains are building flats above their shops. They own the freehold but sell the leaseholds on 99 year leases covering much or all the build costs of the nice new shops.

 

[story]

Yeah, that too, and it's not a small part of it. But a captive pound is a pretty dainty morsel for the big boys.

 

[Badgers]

Brixton and it's surroundings are a bit odd. I understand that the Iceland has the highest sales in the UK. Certainly not the biggest branch in size.

Off topic I am surprised there is not a Primark doing a massive trade.

 

[story]

Apparently, Brixton high street is the most congested pedestrian thoroughfare in the country after Oxford Street. Can anyone confirm this?

If so, do we shop more here than elsewhere? Do we tend to shop more locally than they do elsewhere? Or do we just have more actual people here than they do elsewhere? Why are we so congested?

Iceland: I always scout it before going in: the queues in there are really hardcore sometimes.

Primark: yeah, you'd expect them to jump in here, wouldn't you. TKMaxx was heaving today and yesterday (I know this because I tried to return something yesterday, decided not to bother cos of the crowds, tried again today, same thing).

 

[Pinggoombah]

Apparently, Brixton high street is the most congested pedestrian thoroughfare in the country after Oxford Street. Can anyone confirm this?

Don't know, but we do have very narrow pavements.

 

[story]

Don't know, but we do have very narrow pavements.

Oh lord, do you remember how it was before they were widened?? How did we ever manage??

Another element is the high number of bus stops along the high street: lots of people waiting for buses with their pushchairs and shopping = increased congestion.

Also, I was driving through Brixton on a Friday evening, and that was a baaad mistake. I wonder if the traffic lights need re-sequenced to take account of the increased road traffic.

 

[Badgers]

The KFC corner with the Barclays cashpoints and bus stops is an irritation

 

[story]

The KFC corner with the Barclays cashpoints and bus stops is an irritation

Worse, I find, is the hole-in-the-wall immediately in front of the pedestrian crossing next to the Beehive.

Irritatingly, I can't recall which it is, and there is a bloody great bus right in front of it on Googlmaps, so I can't see it.

 

[Badgers]

story have we met btw? Down the Albert or other? I can't recall

 

[story]

story have we met btw? Down the Albert or other? I can't recall

No, that's very unlikely. I don't really exist. I am an internet cipher.

 

[Ms T]

It's Nationwide.

 

[Badgers]

No, that's very unlikely. I don't really exist. I am an internet cipher.

Is it you that lives under the floor in the Albert?

 

[Badgers]

It's Nationwide.

Always packed inside and out that place.

 

[Manter]

Don't know, but we do have very narrow pavements.

Cab driver that lives near here was telling me that removing the barriers has eased movement of people but he's noticed a substantial uptick in accidents- especially Friday and Saturday night, when the combination of narrow pavements, crowds if people and alcohol means he gets loads of traffic alerts saying Brixton is gridlocked.

 

[T & P]

As a pub I would not miss the THT... Actually a stone's throw from my place but frankly a shithole.

But fuck a Tesco moving in

 

[T & P]

Between the Tesco in W Norwood and the bizarrely crap one on Tulse Hill, I don't see how one on that corner could possibly hold its own. That's before you allow for 2 Co-Ops, 2 small branches of Sainsbury, and the umpteen small newsagents and general shops in the area.

The local mini supermarket (called Premier, yellow sign, opposite the side entrance to the Tulse Hill Tavern) it's fucking brilliant, and actually remarkably cheap. £5 for six cans of beer; can't be many places that still offer that.

Not much fresh produce though. Still, I'm confident it would see off any Tesco store moving in to the site of the THT.

 

[Smick]

The local mini supermarket (called Premier, yellow sign, opposite the side entrance to the Tulse Hill Tavern) it's fucking brilliant, and actually remarkably cheap. £5 for six cans of beer; can't be many places that still offer that.

Not much fresh produce though. Still, I'm confident it would see off any Tesco store moving in to the site of the THT.

Getting across to that side of the South Circular is difficult enough though. From the Co it would be four sets of traffic lights. From Premier, two sets.

 

[gaijingirl]

FFS.. it's relentless. There's quite a lot of space outside that pub - if they turn it into parking they will, of course, get all the traffic going round the S. Circular, which is how they'll clean up I suppose. There's not another on the S. Circular itself until the one just down on the Forest Hill side of the Horniman that's also a garage and going the other way - can't think of one with parking at all ... obv there's the ones at the top of New Park Road/Brixton Hill but I don't think they have that kind of parking do they? God it's so boring and predictable and just shite really.

 

[story]

Is it you that lives under the floor in the Albert?

 

[story]

Cab driver that lives near here was telling me that removing the barriers has eased movement of people but he's noticed a substantial uptick in accidents- especially Friday and Saturday night, when the combination of narrow pavements, crowds if people and alcohol means he gets loads of traffic alerts saying Brixton is gridlocked.

I was wondering about this. There was a decision made at some point to remove street furniture, wasn't there: fences and barriers and so forth. And it must have been based on reports and stats and blah blah. I much prefer not having that central barrier, because I jaywalk. I wondered if the incidence of accidents had increased or not since it had changed.

 

[story]

As a pub I would not miss the THT... Actually a stone's throw from my place but frankly a shithole.

But fuck a Tesco moving in

Better to be a better pub.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

There's nothing actually wrong with the pub....the building and interior.