IT is 'new beginnings' for a Bicester cafe that has moved out of the town centre to a nearby village in a bid to boost business.
S&H Coffee Shop opened at The Red Cow pub in Chesterton at the weekend.
Loyal customers flocked to the cafe's new location on Saturday and owner Tim Stansfield-Hoole said it was a ‘fantastic’ first day of trade.
ALSO READ: No empty units in Pioneer Square, but shoppers say Sheep Street is 'tatty'
He said: “Saturday was amazing. It was really, really good and a fantastic first day of trade. All these people came to us in a different location. We knew it would be busier than normal on our first day and we are hoping it will continue.”
Tim decided to make the brave move from Market Square to Chesterton after noticing a lot of changes in Sheep Street in the four years that he was based in the town centre.
He said: "The high street has changed and the public seem to have negative views on it. We look at social media quite a bit on Facebook and there is lots of negativity. And when something new opens, there’s complaints. There’s been a drop in footfall.
"There’s a lot more competition in town and too much of the same thing is only going to affect business. There’s another three cafes opening soon. It’s happening across the country - shopping is getting pushed out of the town.
ALSO READ: W.E Black Ltd boss slams Cherwell for 'negative' feedback to town centre flats plan
"The high street is going to struggle unless something is done about business rates - it’s going to completely cripple businesses in the next few months. But the biggest point is use it or lose it - there are businesses in town and they won’t be here next year if we don’t use them.
"The parking prices have gone up and coffee is up by 40 per cent by our supplier, so there's a lot of things against staying in the high street."
After a successful opening day, Tim and his team are hoping the move will see new success for the business.
He added: "It’s a sorry state of affairs but we are doing something now to be able to adapt. We did coffee pop-ups outside the Red Cow pub during lockdown and the landlord suggested a coffee shop here.
ALSO READ: Plan to demolish old Bicester Magistrates' Court for flats gains support
"We thought that surely two businesses working together is a good thing and based on Saturday it has been."
S&H Coffee Shop is open from Tuesday to Friday 8am-4pm and Saturdays from 9am-4pm.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here