People power fight to save More Than Coffee in Fleet
By Lou_101 | Saturday, March 03, 2012, 15:12
More than 50 supporters turned up at More Than Coffee in Fleet this morning to show their solidarity with the beleaguered café.
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Supporters young and old came to More Than Coffee this morning
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Many people in Fleet are angry about what's happening to this popular cafe
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The owners' daughter with the petition...
The campaign to save the popular business has 'exploded' online attracting more than 3,000 hits in the past few days – spread between Facebook, Twitter, here on Fleet People and on community blogs.
A petition started only a few days ago at the shop counter already has more than 300 signatures, and there are plans to also create an online version for supporters unable to come into Fleet to sign it.
More Than Coffee owner Sarah Anderson is going on the radio on Monday morning to talk about her plight.
And her landlord has now finally agreed to meet her a few hours later.
All this from a single tweet only five days ago.
"I'm overwhelmed, absolutely overwhelmed by all this support," she said.
More Than Coffee has been told by The Hart Centre managing agent Colliers International that it must move from its current unit even though its lease is not up.
Colliers says it is simply acting under instruction from the landlord.
More Than Coffee has been offered one of the 12 empty units in the Hart Centre as an alternative, but with set-up costs at some £40,000, they say they cannot afford it so they would be put out of business.
If the family run business is forced to close it will leave husband and wife team Sarah and John Anderson and their two young children homeless and bankrupt, she says.
Colliers has told Sarah and John it has two other new businesses interested in their unit.
But most people at the café this morning told Fleet People that they would boycott any new business opening in the More Than Coffee unit.
More than Coffee has been in business in Fleet for more than 13 years, first on the high street and for the past three years in the shopping centre.
More than Coffee has even offered to increase its rent more than 50 per cent in a bid to stay, but has been told Colliers would probably prefer one of the new businesses to move into their unit.
Comments
Update from Sarah Anderson at More Than Coffee:
"We are closing More Than Coffee on April 1st but only in it's current location.
John and I are currently in negotiations with the Landlords and their agents over a new (and bigger) home for MTC. As soon as I have something more definite to tell you all I will. Once again thank you for all of your support and for making us believe that we can just move MTC to a new home. For all of those who offered help it has been noted and we will be needing it. The new unit we are looking at needs LOTS of work!"
By Lou_101 at 17:13 on 27/03/12
ReportMore Than Coffee latest - Sarah Anderson said: "We are currently looking at new units both in the shopping centre and in the high street. As yet we have not found somewhere to relocate to but we hope to have secured a new home for MTC by the end of this week. All units we have looked at need so much work doing to them. We looked at one on Friday and I wanted to run away crying. It is all so daunting to tackle. They are all big empty boxes. I am excited and terrified!"
By Lou_101 at 08:51 on 12/03/12
ReportLandlord has now served them notice to be out by April 7. In an email via Colliers the landlord says he still wants the new tenant in regardless. I must stress that More Than Coffee is not behind in rent or has done anything contrary to their lease. (It is simply that their licence agreement expires on April 7 that the landlord is using this loophole to move them out.) More Than Coffee solicitors are trying to establish the type of trader going into the unit. If it is the same type as More Than Coffee there may be some leverage legally. More Than Coffee has looked at other empty units in the high street and the one offered to them in The Hart Centre by the magament company BUT none are suitable.This is because More Than Coffee is designated as an A3 type business and the other units have different ratings. Planning permission would take at least two months and there's no guarantee of success. Sarah from More Than Coffee told Fleet People this morning that they are, "now up the creek without a paddle. I am now trying to focus on how we're going to pay the mortgage in five weeks and feed the children. I need to make sure my family has a roof over its head but I just don't know how we are going to do that." Campaigners however are fighting on....
By Lou_101 at 13:30 on 06/03/12
ReportNow exceeding 600 online signatures plus the paper ones. Online traffic via Twitter and Facebook is in the thousands....
By Lou_101 at 09:23 on 06/03/12
ReportMore than 500 signature now online (not including the paper version of the petition) AND Sarah was on BBC Radio Surrey this morning. Should be on iPlayer later today - 8am news...
By Lou_101 at 08:56 on 05/03/12
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