The decline in retail, and the struggles of Britain’s high streets, has been well documented for two decades. It’s the main reason that Westfield has left central Croydon to rot since 2012, their promises of a £1.4billion redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre broken long ago.
But it is increasingly clear that shop owners are suffering more than ever, facing rising business rates, soaring rents, higher electric, gas and water bills, inflation hitting their stock and a diminishing number of customers visiting their premises.
Inside Croydon has learned of two long-standing businesses facing uncertainty – both restaurants in South Croydon – where the property has been put up for sale and the business owners have no certainty that their new landlords will not seek to increase their rents.
“It’s tough,” one retailer told us over the weekend. “We’re managing, just. But it is a real struggle.”
One Coulsdon business, Cozy Glow in Coulsdon, issued this plaintiff plea for customers last month: “Where is everyone, Coulsdon?”
“We counted 14 empty parking bays on the high street today. FOURTEEN! And it’s been like that for the last three weeks.
“We’ve had days with zero customers and barely a single sale most days.
“We’re a small local business, putting our hearts into the candles we handmake in-store and everything we do for the community – events, decorations, partnerships.
“But we’re seriously struggling to justify keeping our physical shop open,
“Yes, we have a lovely landlord who’s helping us keep rent fair – but everything else, from stock to bills, has skyrocketed. And when there’s no one around, it’s hard to carry on.”
CozyGlow asked its customers, past, present and future, what they could do to serve them better, and what they need from their local shop. “What would bring you back to Coulsdon high street?” they asked.
“Your opinion matters more than ever.”
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The sad reality is that we’re all being fked over by massively high prices for utilities, tax, travel, fuel, insurance, food etc etc etc . Most people don’t have the spare money to spend on candles.
We completely understand how tough things are right now — it’s something we hear a lot from our community.
We actually put this post up after speaking with other local businesses, as many of us have noticed a big drop in footfall over the last month. It’s clear that people are feeling the pressure, so we’re working together to find ways to help. We’re simply trying to encourage more people to make the effort to shop locally — whether in person or online — rather than defaulting to Amazon or similar options.
At Cozy Glow, we always try to keep things affordable — many of our gifts are cheaper than supermarket prices for the same branded items. From just £3, we offer homewares, foodie treats, bath bombs, hot sauces, children’s Games, Toys & Books and much more — it’s not just candles.
To make things easier, a number of local businesses, including ours, are now offering to process your parking in-store so you don’t have to struggle with the RingGo app.
We’re all trying to keep the high street alive, and and every bit of support really does help.
parking charges are way too high in Croydon Borough …..
We completely get the frustration around parking — it’s a common concern. However, most comparable boroughs actually have similar parking charges to Croydon.
That said, 1 hour free parking is still available on Coulsdon high street, and local independent businesses like ours are here to help. You don’t have to use the RingGo app if it’s tricky — pop in and we’ll help you sort your parking in-store.
We’re working together with other shops to make things easier and to keep Coulsdon’s high street thriving.
Do you think it’s possible that soy candles aren’t top of peoples shopping list when the economy is in the tank and we’re being taxed up to our eyeballs?
We absolutely understand that our made-in-store products won’t be accessible to everyone right now, and we genuinely respect that. But at £10.99 they represent great value compared to comparable products.
That said, all Cozy Glow candles are made right here in our Coulsdon store using 100% natural soy wax — no paraffin, just clean-burning, high-quality ingredients. Despite this, we often see people choosing mass-produced candles from brands like Yankee Candle or Jo Malone, which are made with paraffin wax and often lack any real scent — and yet cost two to three times more. These are sold even in places like Tesco Express in Coulsdon.
Meanwhile, we offer a locally made alternative with free delivery or home drop-off, and it’s disheartening to hear that it’s still seen as “too expensive” by some.
We’re not here to pressure anyone — we simply want to raise awareness about what’s available in our own town. As a founding trustee of Coulsdon Community Partnership, I’ve dedicated myself to fundraising and running subsidised yoga sessions (helping 50+ people weekly), art mindfulness classes, gardening workshops, and all the major high street events at Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
We feel we’ve gone above and beyond to support Coulsdon — all we ask is that people consider supporting local in return.
“all Cozy Glow candles are made right here in our Coulsdon store using 100% natural soy wax”
Could just be me but those two stand-out plus points are not obvious when landing on your website’s homepage
Thanks, Arfur. I will make some changes. We didn’t include that previously, as we market to the whole of the UK, and we didn’t think most people would know about Coulsdon. haha
Question: Where is everyone?
Answer: amazon.com
Yes — we totally get it. People shop on Amazon, and that’s exactly why we’ve sold our products there since we opened. In all honesty, if it weren’t for our online sales (including Amazon), we wouldn’t still be trading today.
But what many people don’t realise is that Amazon takes around 33% in commission on every sale. Amazon Prime shipping is actually paid for by sellers like us, not subsidised by Amazon — despite customers paying for a Prime membership.
The idea that items are “cheaper” on Amazon simply isn’t true. Most businesses have to build these fees into their prices, and in many cases, it’s cheaper to buy direct. Every order you place with us on Amazon is packed and shipped right from our Coulsdon store, and we even include a thank you card and a discount code to encourage people to shop direct next time.
We do the work, cover the costs, and Amazon takes the cut. There’s no hidden magic — it’s just small businesses like ours doing all the lifting, while Amazon gets the profit.
We’re grateful for every single sale — but we always ask: if you like what we do, why not shop local and cut out the middleman?
Well, I didn’t know about these guys but I’m guessing there aren’t enough hipsters in Coulsdon
I’ve just had a look at Cozy Glows website, and I have to say, this is quite an ignorant comment. They have some very nice and well priced gifts – nothing is ‘hipster’ regarding accessibility.
To the owners of Cozy Glow:
I live in Selsdon and very rarely travel to Coulsdon, so unfortunately have never heard of your shop, however I love the things you have for sale particularly the pink alpaca cuddly toy! I’m buying it for my nieces birthday! I really hope your shop succeeds and will tell others about it 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words — that really means a lot to us.
We totally understand that not everyone has heard of us yet, especially if you’re not local to Coulsdon, but we’re so glad you found us online. The pink alpaca is one of our favourites too — we hope your niece loves it!
We always do our best to keep our gifts fairly priced and accessible to all, and it’s lovely to hear that came across. While we welcome everyone from all walks of life, most of our customers are everyday families, older locals, and people just looking for something thoughtful and different — no “hipster” requirements necessary!
Thank you again for your support — and for spreading the word. It genuinely helps small businesses like ours keep going.
We appreciate the comment, and just to clarify, while we’re proudly inclusive and support everyone’s right to live happily and authentically, we’re definitely not just for hipsters; we are for everyone!
In fact, most of our regular customers are older ladies, many of whom pop in weekly for gifts, candles, or a friendly chat. We offer everything from classic British fragrances to fun, BBQ sauces, food gifts and practical home items — there’s genuinely something for everyone.
Cozy Glow has always been about community and creating honest, handmade products at fair prices. You’d be surprised how many people of all ages become loyal fans once they’ve had a proper look (or smell)!
You would realise, if you have seen some of Chris’s comments over the years, he has a bit of a thing about “hipsters”. We’re sure he’s harmless really.
You may be getting confused. I occasionally mention IC’s hip millennial readers; not the same as ‘hipsters’ who I happily mixed with at the recent Bike Shed show in fashionable Shorefitch
On reflection on soy candles I should have referred to ‘New Agers’. So many new terms
Here’s the words our Mayor wrote in his manifesto when he was seeking our votes back in May 2022:
“Across the borough, from Crystal Palace to Coulsdon, I will facilitate the establishment of business associations to get traders working together to set the direction for investment, marketing and entertainment in our vital district centres.
This could lead to the creation of Business Improvement Districts which would have the authority to truly set the strategy for boosting footfall, revenue and innovation in their communities, supported by the Council.”
Ever get the feeling you’ve been had?
We’ve been trading on Coulsdon High Street for over 10 years now, and in that time, we’ve worked tirelessly with other local businesses to boost the town — not just with words, but with action.
We’ve planned and delivered some of Coulsdon’s biggest community events, year after year. We fundraised and created The Hive community garden through volunteer work, only for certain representatives to show up wanting to cut the ribbon. At Christmas, we raise over £10,000 annually to fund the lights and deliver a magical event for the town — without any meaningful support from those who now want credit.
Last year, we were contacted at the last minute by our local MP asking to turn the lights on — despite never donating a penny or helping with the planning.
It’s deeply frustrating. Coulsdon is treated like a guaranteed vote, and because of that, it’s often overlooked. The words in that manifesto ring hollow when, in reality, it’s local businesses and volunteers doing the hard work, while others turn up for photo ops.
We’re proud of what we do — but let’s be honest, we deserve more than political lip service.
It does not matter what the business is the ridiculous parking rules stop people going to town centres why should you have to share your bank details to park your car for free. Too many scams today people can’t trust anyone.
Let’s be real – those who genuinely can’t use the RingGo app often aren’t the ones shopping the high street anyway. But the vast majority can – and choose not to. That’s the issue.
We’ve got a huge, capable population who could support their local shops, but instead choose convenience, then complain when the community is full of empty units or just more takeaways. It’s a cycle we can break, but only if people stop waiting for others to do it first.
Again, no need for bank details, no payment required. Just the RingGo app or a quick visit to a local shop to register your registration. Free. Simple. No excuses
We are all suffering from high taxation, bills are going up, transport, food etc and we’re left with nothing to spend on shops. Tax free allowance hasn’t been increased for years and salaries are not increasing with rate of inflation. So there is no money to spend luxury. Supermarkets sometimes sale clothes at knocked down prices, which leaves high street shops with less customers. Then there are online shops with Temo and Shein competing as well, people have changed their shopping habits. In Croydon, there cameras everywhere to trap motorists for extra income, from high parking fees to no available parking at all. The shops themselves no longer have good stuff. With Debenhams, Allders, BHS gone what is there to go to Croydon for? The place is deserted. Taxation has taken its toll!
You’re absolutely right to highlight how tough things are — rising bills, stagnating wages, and the pressure of online competition have reshaped everything. But it’s also true that big department stores closed because they stopped bringing any real value. They were simply middlemen stocking the same products people could now buy directly — and usually cheaper — online.
That’s all Cozy Glow is asking too: cut out the middleman, shop directly, and support people actually doing something. We handmake our products, offer fair prices without blaming taxes, and give back to our community through events, wellness programmes, and local partnerships.
Coulsdon isn’t Croydon — here, you’ve got free one-hour parking and spaces available most of the day. If people want the high street to survive, they need to act on that belief. It’s not enough to just say “support local” — we all need to do it. Every purchase is a vote for the kind of community you want to live in
We’re doing our part — keeping prices low, quality high, and giving back locally. Will you help us keep Coulsdon thriving by choosing to shop direct?
The traffic jams along Brighton road due to the bodged bypass traffic lights are another deterrent. Tell Perry
One reason I won’t shop anywhere local is uncertainty about parking and stupid parking apps that I refuse to use . Croydon council need to suspend all on street parking charges one day a week – say Sunday – to get customers spending locally again.
I used to shop local, but parking uncertainty killed
Are you reading this Jason Perry?