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| Supermarket blamed for hike
in shop rents |
Traders fear increases of up to
40% will mean closures
SHOPKEEPERS and small businesses in Tufnell Park blame the arrival
of supermarket Sainsbury’s for threatened rent rises of up
to 40 per cent.
Buildings in Fortess Road, which include a hairdresser’s salon,
a newsagent, an estate agent and a Chinese medicine shop, are all
owned and managed by CHP Management, based in Hampstead.
Traders are linking the rent rises to the opening of a Sainsbury’s
Local shop in the street.
Tony Douglas-Gooden, who runs the Natural Health Centre, a charity
offering complementary medicine cheaply for disadvantaged groups,
said the annual rent of its Fortess Road building was going up from
£9,000 to £14,000 this month.
He added: “We have been told the rateable value of the area
has gone up since Sainsbury’s came in. They can afford the
rents but we can’t.
“We are going to have to look for funding elsewhere or we will
have to close.
He added: “The problem is that all the shops are owned by CHP
and we all have different lease periods so we can’t go to them
together.”
Mr Douglas-Gooden has asked Sainsbury’s to help the charity
find money for the rent.
Sue Mei, who runs Herbs and Health, which specialises in acupuncture
and Chinese medicine, will see her rent rise from £9,500 to
£13,800 from November.
She said: “I was expecting it to go up but that is too much
for me. The last few months have already been very hard. This year,
business has been worse than ever.”
She added: “Sainsbury’s has done nothing positive for
the street because people just go there and go home again. They
don’t visit any of the other businesses.”
Hassan Mohammadi, of Hemi Household Stores, said: “The biggest
problem with running a small business is the high rent and rates.
But we sell things cheaper than Sainsbury’s so it doesn’t
matter that they are here.”
One shopkeeper, who did not wish to be named, had seen his rent
rise by £4,000, but believes the Sainsbury’s shop, which
opened last year, has been good for the street. He said: “Until
Sainsbury’s came along there was nothing to draw people here
so it has been a good thing for the street.”
A spokesman for CHP Management said directors were away for a religious
holiday and would be unable to comment this week.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “Sainsbury’s stands
for great products at fair prices, and our priority is to serve
our customers in Kentish Town well.” |
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