The last thing Aber needs is another chain coffee shop

We have enough, thank you


Now that Caffè Nero is looking at opening a store in Aber soon it is time to face the fact that this development needs to stop. We do not need another chain coffee shop in Aber. It’s ridiculous.

For those that don’t really care about Aberystwyth, maybe picture our lovely town if every pub with the slightest bit of soul was a Wetherspoons. What if Cambrian stopped their myriad of cocktails in favour of a selection of artisan real ales that the regular day drinkers don’t give a crap about; if Angel changed its seedy charm for inoffensive decorations and a 12pm close. Not very appealing, no.

No chain coffee shop can make up for the atmosphere in Agnelli’s

Aber has a very particular charm, and the little Welsh coffee shops, tiny individual restaurants and bars make it appealing to students, families, and holidaymakers. The town attracts adventurers, outdoor-lovers and students that do not fancy living in a town that looks like every other one with the generic assemblage of highstreet drug stores and chain coffee shops. Lose the charme, lose the interesting people living in that town. It’s as simple as that.

No, it’s not that all chain coffee stores are bad, it’s just that we already have a Costa, a Coffee number one and a Starbucks both in town and up campus. There is nothing Caffè Nero offers that Starbucks & Co. aren’t already offering in every possible variation.

One of those local shops that have to compete with yet another pointless coffee shop chain

You like the fancy Toffeenut Latte’s, Vanilla Bean Macchiatos and Pumpkin Spice coffees? Well, you already have plenty of offers going. Besides, who needs a coffee shop offering “Premium Italian Blends” if you have the original Italian Agnelli’s right around the corner? With every big name coffee shop with a multi million pound advertising campaign in Aber, the local coffee shops, the Agnelli’s, Ceaser’s and Lily’s, are put under that little bit more pressure.

Even if you do not care about the flair and individuality of the venue you’re buying your coffee from, you should care about the local businesses. Investing in local business might be a bit more expensive, but in the long run, you support the local economy, which is only beneficial to students and locals in Aber.

So go and support the local venues, or stick with your daily Starbucks before your lectures, but remember that there are only so many coffee shop chains that fit into a town as small as Aberystwyth.