Slow process: Westfield’s opening up of the Allders frontage has been a drawn out affair, and has been delivered months late
Locals better get there early on Friday, for the grand opening of Coco and Nut on North End, when free coffees and pastries will be on offer to celebrate.
Because, with the slightest whiff of a freebie to be had, especially cakes, Croydon’s failed Mayor Jason Perry surely won’t be slow in coming forward, and not to just try to claim the credit, as he usually does.
Coco and Nut, together with ice cream parlour Meltin’ Memories, are the final two “kiosks” due to open in what landlords Westfield are calling their “Allders Parade”, now expected to happen on October 31.
Although as usual with Westfield in Croydon, they are under-delivering and delivering late.
- First, the retailing development multinational said that there would be seven kiosks. Later, that became just six. They’ve refused to explain why they made the change from what they requested in their planning application.
- Then, the kiosks were supposed to open in summer 2025. It will be almost November before Meltin’ Memories gets to sell their first ice cream… It could be a long, cold winter.
- And then Westfield said they wouldn’t be opening all six of the kiosks together, but providing the Croydon public with a kind of retail drip-feed, with two a fortnight once Sky and Miniso had their art-washing hoardings removed on the last Friday of September.
Locally based: Coco and Nut already trade in Sanderstead
There was, in due course, the opening of a florists’ shop and a boutique selling Turkish-made Islamic clothing in mid-October. Since when, silence… There was no “big reveal” last Friday of the final two kiosks, as the Croydon public had been led to expect.
The six kiosks are a form of “meanwhile use”, to breathe some life into a long-neglected stretch of Croydon’s high street. They come seven years after Croydon Council, at the insistence of Westfield, had sent in bailiffs to close down the bizarre bazaar that had opened as a meanwhile use inside the old department store.
According to the public relations firm that is shilling for Westfield this year, the new shops opening in Allders represent “a major milestone in the ongoing redevelopment of Croydon’s town centre”. Which kind of overlooks how Westfield has proved to be a millstone around the neck of Croydon town centre since they arrived in 2012.
Mayor Perry, having pushed his way to the front of the queue to claim his goody bag from Miniso on the day that they opened their kiosk, has described the handful of outlets assembled by Westfield for the Allders Parade as “a range of quality local and global businesses”.
Inside Croydon readers, in an unscientific poll, voted by almost 90% that the Westfield kiosks were “an anti-climax”.
‘Milestone for redevelopment’: the flower shop opened in mid-October
Croydon’s elected Mayor, meanwhile, rather than standing up for the Croydon public or its businesses, is allowing big corporations and their public relations hacks to put words into his mouth (when he’s not scoffing freebie pastries, that is): “Allders Parade will be a welcome addition to North End and represents an exciting milestone in the wider regeneration of our town centre.”
Sound familiar? So just who is running this town: the council, or Westfield?
The fitting out of the Allders kiosks is even being paid for out of what is effectively public money, taken from a £6million fine Westfield received from the council because of broken promises and the late delivery of their previously consented plans to redevelop the Whitgift Centre shopping mall. Another “reward for failure” from Mayor Perry’s council.
There has been no formal announcement as yet from the management at Westfield regarding this week’s opening of the final two kiosks. “Coming soon”, they say on the Westfield-run website for the Centrale and Whitgift shopping malls. The hoardings are stubbornly in position even now, though with builders scurrying around behind them.
The final two additions are, perhaps, the best and most welcome businesses to grace North End.
Grand opening: Coco and Nut will be providing free coffees to new customers
Meltin’ Memories used to trade from the Allders Arcade, and will doubtless prompt some memories from past customers, if the new business has the chance to establish itself through the winter months.
Coco and Nut already trade in the borough, near Sanderstead Station, and having an independent café operating on North End may indeed provide some much-needed vitality to the town centre’s shopping area.
Just make sure you get there on Friday ahead of the Mayor, while there’s still some of the free pastries left to sample…
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s very well-paid public relations agency failed to respond to Inside Croydon’s invitation to comment.
Read more: Another Whitgift store to close – and manager blames Westfield
Read more: Five Guys is latest business to give up on Croydon High Street
Read more: ‘Permanently closed’: Whitgift Centre works mark end of days
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