Town that sent Costa packing finally yields to first chain café

A TOWN renowned for resisting the UK’S biggest coffee chains has finally succumbed to an offshoot of Caffè Nero, leading to fears that its “integrity” has been compromised.

The bohemian town of Totnes in Devon has long prided itself on being free of chain stores, instead lining its streets with independent coffee houses and even fighting off Costa Coffee.

But despite strong opposition it has now been forced to accept a Coffee #1 – a subsidiary of Caffè Nero.

In 2012, Costa withdrew plans to open a shop after thousands of residents pledged to boycott it.

As the last UK town centre to bat off corporate giants, locals now fear the introduction of Coffee #1 could open the floodgates.

Julian Brazil, a councillor, said Totnes had “spent many years” keeping brands such as Caffè Nero at bay

‘The best thing that could happen is that no one uses it … so we don’t get harangued by the likes of Mcdonald’s’

and it would be a “sad day if the town is overrun by chains”.

He added: “The best thing that could happen is that it opens, no one uses it and it then closes, so we don’t get harangued by the likes of Starbucks and Mcdonald’s and the rest.

The new café opened on the site of a former Barclays Bank after plans were given the go-ahead by South Hams district council earlier this year.

The application had received several objections on the grounds that it could kill off independent stores.

Cllr John Birch said the town already had “52 premises that serve coffee”.

He added: “The majority are independent shops that are run by individuals or families who in a few cases put their life savings into the business.

“Many of those independent traders may be forced to close and we will be left with more empty units in the town. This will … threaten the integrity and character of the historic town centre.”

One resident, Ellie Brooker, said she hoped people would “vote with their feet” and support independent shops, but Sue Wormald questioned why it should be “different to any other town”, adding: “As much as I love Totnes, they need to get over themselves.”