Popular Greenwich Market trader, Ms Cupcake, has been left devastated after being told by market bosses she can no longer trade at weekends.
The baker, who promises “the naughtiest vegan cakes in town”, had hoped to carry on trading at Greenwich Market whilst also expanding the business into new premises at Brixton Market.
An email from market bosses assured her that if she did “decide to open elsewhere we would be more than happy for you to continue with your stall on the market for whichever days you wished to trade.”
Earlier this month, business owner Mellissa Morgan announced her expansion plans – only to get the shock news that Greenwich Market was axeing her from her weekend pitch.
“Ms Cupcake” says the decision will have “huge financial repercussions” for her business and that she will no longer be able to recruit five new members of staff she had planned to.
“All we have ever done is promote Greenwich and the market and loved every minute we were there. This is the biggest slap in the face I could ever imagine”, she said.
Regular customer, Daren Clarke, told Greenwich.co.uk:
“I really don’t understand why a thriving, vibrant stall such as this is having its hours cut in such a drastic and, dare I say, draconian way. Only being allowed to trade on a Friday, and having your regular customers from the usual Saturday and Sunday markets deprived of their ‘fix’, seems very short sighted on the behalf of the powers that be.”
Paul Turton, manager of Greenwich Hospital’s commercial estate, commented:
“Because of the ongoing review of the food stalls at the market, we decided to revert to the pre-November trading pattern which allows Ms Cupcake in the week and Ruby Tuesday [who also sells vegan cupcakes] at the weekend.”
Ms Cupcake will be opening the new Brixton shop in April – get more information about that and where she will be trading until then at her website.
Greenwich.co.uk understands that the shock plan to cut the number of food stalls which was announced to traders last summer may not now be proceeding as originally planned.
The proposal, which provoked an angry response from traders, to reduce the number of hot food stalls within the market and to move those remaining into a retail unit is being reviewed by Greenwich Hospital.
“The shock plan to cut the number of food stalls which was announced to traders last summer may not now be proceeding as originally planned.”
Except several stalls are no longer trading (eg Greenwich Bean Time, the falafel place) and others have had the range of foods limited. So the cuts have already happened, even if it’s not going ahead as planned.
Given that the market allows alot of similar item stalls (eg t-shirts, other stalls selling cakes), I don’t see why having two cake stalls is such a big problem, especially as both are popular. Though personally I’m glad Ruby Tuesday’s is on the weekends- her cakes are far superior!
It is with shock and confusion I heard about Greenwich Market no longer allowing Ms Cupcake to trade there at the weekends. It seems very short sighted and the reasons given unjustified, since the uniqueness of her business just adds to the market’s diversity and is highly popular. small companies need this busy weekend trade to thrive. The market’s running company should think again.
In case anyone is interested there is now an onmlione petition to keep Ms Cupcake on the Market at the weekend.
Click the link and add your name to the growing list of those opposed to the limiting of opening hours for this wonderful addition to the diversity of Greenwich Market. And, no, I don’t get any freebies for this…….unless……..LOL
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/mscupcake
To put things in context, all the food traders have been messed around a great deal for the last six months. Miss Cupcake may have been given preferential treatment initially (new stalls often have a period of grace) but now she’s just getting the same treatment as the rest of the traders. Miss Cupcake was offered a weekend position when she said she wanted to rent a shop from Greenwich Hospital. I have heard that other stalls (who were established before Miss Cupcake) were suddenly restricted in what they could sell to accommodate Miss Cupcake’s wishes and reduce the competition for her. This caused a lot of upset.
When it turned out that she wouldn’t in fact take the shop, it seems understandable that her position of priveledge would be reversed. I agree that it was clumsy that she was told she could trade at the weekend and then that offer was withdrawn, but again to put that in context, at the moment the situation with the food court is in a constant state of flux and pretty much every trader has been told things which have then been changed or reversed.
My personal guess is that since the Hospital couldn’t carry out their plan to condense the food court as they had hoped, they have taken a step back and decided there is just too much sweet stuff for sale. If so, the fairest way to cut it down is to act on, ‘last in, first out’, which is what they have done. But who knows, that’s just a guess.