Once ranked as the street with the most independent stores in Europe, Gloucester Road is a hub for small and quirky businesses to thrive. But over the past couple of years, the hospitality industry has been struck hard by both the effects of the Coronavirus and now the cost of living crisis.
And sadly, this has caused a number of businesses to permanently close, with Gloucester Road not escaping the downturn. Over the past six months or so, Gloucester Road has seen the closure of many loved independent restaurants and cafes.
Bomboloni, which was a ‘popular family-run Italian restaurant’, closed its doors last October after five years of trading. At the time the owner of the restaurant, Sara Griffin, explained her reasons included ‘staffing problems and sky rocketing bills’ which she just couldn’t afford.
Read More: Bristol restaurant says 'it’s been a ride' as it confirms closure
And they weren’t the last to shut up shop either. Just a month later another store made the heart-breaking decision to close its doors too.
Spicer and Cole announced their closure on their Instagram saying: “With a heavy heart we announce we will be permanently closing our Gloucester Road café. We have explored every avenue possible to keep it going but we just couldn’t make it work financially due to the increased costs in nearly everything that we do.”
Problems have continued into 2023 as Purezza appears to be closed, with Google saying the closure is temporary and it has been confirmed that we will be saying goodbye to another independent restaurant at the end of April. Jafra’s owners announced this week that the beloved Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant will too be closing their doors after a short but amazing time on the road.
The news was posted on their Instagram, where Omar, one of the owners said: “It’s painful to say out loud but 29th April will be our last day of trading. After two and a half years, the big lights are coming up and it’s time to call curtains. For whatever reasons; too many false starts, global pandemic, faltering economy - whatever, the chips didn’t land. That’s okay, we took our shot and we loved every second.”
And this most likely will not be the last closure as the economy continues to cause problems for other businesses.
Reasons behind closures as told by business on the road
With so many independent businesses closing their doors on the road we asked other local businesses what they thought was the reason behind the domino effect of closures.
Noda, who owns Koocha Mezze Bar, explained that it is incredibly hard for those working in the hospitality sector right now. She said: “Running a restaurant in the current cost of living climate is a constant struggle and the pandemic has only added to our difficulties. As a business owner, I am doing everything I can to adapt to the current climate but the reality is that it’s a difficult road ahead.”
She went on to explain that it has become difficult to keep the business going with everything from food to the bills and wages all going up in price. Expressing her sadness at other small companies closing their doors on Gloucester Road she said: “The independent restaurants and food places on Gloucester Road have contributed so much to the vibrancy and diversity of our community. It's heart-breaking to see many of them having to close their doors due to these challenging times.”
Noda hopes that by shedding some light on the issue, we can raise awareness and come together as a community to help and support all the beloved local businesses.
While Carmine Montuori, who runs Taste of Napoli in the Horsefair, says he fears for his company's future amid soaring food costs. The price for a box of aubergines six months ago was £8.50 and now costs £13.
And arancini rice has doubled in price from £1.20 to £2.80 and the price of pasta has more than doubled from 40p to 89p. The price of extra virgin olive oil - essential for baking his crispy pizza bases at his restaurant - has soared from £22 to £37 for five litres.
Carmine said: "Honestly the situation is very bad because the market is very up at the minute. The problem is that each day is different you can never know."
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