Just William - Herne Hill

[edhistory]

KateA69,

Do you have any evidence to support your post?

John K

[BrandNewGuy]

Louisa Wrote:

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> What's that phrase, "first world problems"?

>

> Some kids both home and abroad are starving and

> would be happy to just have a hot meal. I find it

> difficult to sympathise, sorry!

>

> Louisa.

Louisa, you could say that for a million topics that appear on the forum. It's a local forum, so we talk about local things. And we're in the first world. We can't spend 24 hours a day weeping over all the suffering in the world.

[LondonMix]

KateA69 Wrote:

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> And yes of course there are

> bigger issues, and children are starving, which

> are also really important, if not more so,

Definitely more so...

The hike was less than that according to the Dulwich Estate and represents a change in market rents since 2010. The equivalent annual increase was just under 5%. I get that might be higher than the shop can afford but unless there is evidence that isn't the current market rate, the charity has a fiduciary responsibility to charge the market rate.

[KateA69]

Not sure which evidence you are requesting? If its the 70% proposed rent hike its worth reading Vicky the owner of Just Williams response to Dulwich Estates statement - http://www.hernehill.org.uk/70-rent-increase-dulwich-estates-has-driven-out-just-williams#new - I have also seen the email trail between Vicky and Dulwich Estates where the 70% is proposed, and her response.

[edhistory]

KatieA69,

Your post made allegations about businesses other the Just Williams Toys Ltd.

What is your evidence?

John K

[Grok]

Jemima and Tarquin can just hop into Mummys landrover and head the five minutes up the road to the Lordship Lane shop. The deprived little darlings can buy their overpriced toys there and avoid broken hearts. Good luck.

[BrandNewGuy]

Yep, definitely a bot.

[Otta]

I'm actually with Grok on this. We can argue about whether duo witch estates have been unfair or not, but this stuff about broken hearted kids is emotive drivel.

[Jeremy]

Otta Wrote:

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> I'm actually with Grok on this.

You're dead to me, Otta!

[KateA69]

Bon Velo have just been imposed a rent hike see their news article on this - http://www.hernehill.org.uk/news/bon-velo-and-why-independents-are-being-priced-out-area

[Otta]

"After trying to reason with him, he told us if we couldn?t pay, he could find someone who could which basically tells us that he doesn?t care about our livelihood or the local community."

That's pretty much the rub.

"Can they really be allowed to ruin so many independent businesses and form the neighbourhood as they please?"

This is just what happens and has always happened. Little shops open, people with money are attracted to an area, people without money are priced out of the area, landlords see all the people with money and get greedy, all the things that attracted the money to the area go and are replaced by larger and wealthier businesses.

It's not right or fair, but it is how it is.

[Charles Notice]

At least they have a shop in Goose Green, which will benefit from extra foot fall and increased sales if this shop decides to close.

So their costs as a chain for want of a better word will decrease resulting in greater profits.

Landlords provide the facilities to trade which one can accept or decline.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

There's one on Beckenham High Street as well.

[Charles Notice]

Gets more interesting with every post.

Let's tug at the yummy mummy heart strings even more.

What else is lurking in the background

[Louisa]

There is also another branch at Clapham South on Balham Hill.

Louisa.

[LondonMix]

The bit that annoys me about this is the idea that a pre-existing shop has a permanent right to trade in an area. What about a new entrepreneur who wants to have a go and is confident (rightly or wrongly) that they can afford to pay a higher rent get that opportunity.

I am actually sympathetic to small business owners struggling to keep their business going but so much of the press on this has been manipulative that its turned me off to this shops cause.

[KateA69]

Hi John K, sorry for slow response, I thought I'd responded yesterday. Take a look at what Bon Velo the local cycle shop posted on the Herne Hill forum regarding a rent hike thats being imposed on them http://www.hernehill.org.uk/news/bon-velo-and-why-independents-are-being-priced-out-area

[edhistory]

I had read this and either the piece is badly written or I got confused.

Are Bon Velo (odd number) stating that Dulwich College Estate is its landlord?

John K

[KateA69]

Having spoken to about 30 retailers today in Herne Hill they are all concerned about their livelihoods. Just Williams isn't just about the kids, its about the whole community, and people's livelihoods, their jobs. It takes a huge amount of guts, innovation to run your own business. So to totally focus on yummy mummy comments is to belittle the issue. Sure profits have to be made, but its about being reasonable and balanced. Do we really all want a community taken over by the big profiteering companies, that drive out the very shops that drew us to these great places we all live in. What happens when not only these shops go, but some of the essential shops, such as the local laundrette, for those that don't have their own washing machine, the local garage to fix cars, the local shoe mender - where we will get this stuff done - or are we looking at the next level of socio-economic cleansing? Using the kids as an excuse to switch-off frankly doesn't cut it as a reason to switch-off from this campaign when its people's jobs at stake. Everyone has a right to express an opinion, whether they are adults or children, and good on them for learning to speak out now when they are young, and not focus on more petty issues and become cynical adults.

[KateA69]

I am not sure, they might have a different landlord, who has seen what Dulwich Estates have done and are trying to capitalise on it

[BrandNewGuy]

KateA69 Wrote:

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> Having spoken to about 30 retailers today in Herne

> Hill they are all concerned about their

> livelihoods. Just Williams isn't just about the

> kids, its about the whole community, and people's

> livelihoods, their jobs. It takes a huge amount

> of guts, innovation to run your own business. So

> to totally focus on yummy mummy comments is to

> belittle the issue. Sure profits have to be made,

> but its about being reasonable and balanced. Do

> we really all want a community taken over by the

> big profiteering companies, that drive out the

> very shops that drew us to these great places we

> all live in. What happens when not only these

> shops go, but some of the essential shops, such as

> the local laundrette, for those that don't have

> their own washing machine, the local garage to fix

> cars, the local shoe mender - where we will get

> this stuff done - or are we looking at the next

> level of socio-economic cleansing? Using the kids

> as an excuse to switch-off frankly doesn't cut it

> as a reason to switch-off from this campaign when

> its people's jobs at stake. Everyone has a right

> to express an opinion, whether they are adults or

> children, and good on them for learning to speak

> out now when they are young, and not focus on more

> petty issues and become cynical adults.

Agree. There's something childish about the 'have a pop at the toffs' tone of some of these comments. Tiresome.

[KateA69]

Coverage in today's Evening Standard - http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/protest-march-in-herne-hill-as-businesses-hit-by-70-per-cent-rent-hike-a3167921.html

BBC London news planning to come down tomorrow as well.

[DuncanW]

Dulwich Estate is their landlord as I read it. They even mention the chief exec of DE by name

edhistory Wrote:

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> I had read this and either the piece is badly

> written or I got confused.

>

> Are Bon Velo (odd number) stating that Dulwich

> College Estate is its landlord?

>

> John K

[richard tudor]

KateA69 Wrote:

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> Coverage in today's Evening Standard -

> http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/protest-marc

> h-in-herne-hill-as-businesses-hit-by-70-per-cent-r

> ent-hike-a3167921.html

>

> BBC London news planning to come down tomorrow as

> well.

Will they be mentioning the other shops they have?

And will they mention how long the old rent was in place for and new rents in the area.

Tugging at the heartstrings too much.

[richard tudor]

A petition calling for it to charge ?reasonable? rents has gained thousands of signatures, as well as backing from celebrities including Channel 4 newsreader Cathy Newman. She tweeted a picture of the Just Williams toy shop, which is closing after 10 years, saying: ?Much-loved local toy shop shut down after astronomical rent rises. Kids gutted. #greedylandlords.?

Why would Cathy Newman appear. Is it the trial by media mob calling on favours?

Does she live local.

Whole thing leaves a lot to be desired.