THE CARDIFF COFFEE ARENA: INDIE CAFES VS. CHAIN GIANTS
Independent coffee shops are fighting against the chain industry all over Cardiff to survive and thrive in the hardships of coffee trade.
Walking through the city of Cardiff, what do you see? Clothes stores, night clubs and coffee shops. Everywhere. With 25 coffee chains scattered across city centre it can be hard to spot the independent gems hidden within the city’s shadows.
Perhaps that is why independent coffee shops are fighting against chains, not just for customers, but as legitimate competitors. With Cardiff City as the ring, independent coffee shops are in overdrive to win over customers in a fast-paced environment designed to attract tourists.
“Coffee Capital of the UK”
Cardiff City was once given this title from an article from Wales Online in 2017, but how does this compare to now?
The UK thrives on its coffee industry. Approximately 98 million cups are consumed a year just in the UK alone with 80% of people visiting coffee shops.
Rising chains is not a new phenomenon, but where does that put independent coffee shops? The coffee market for the UK has expanded rapidly, now worth approximately £10 billion. With the success of chains, it impacts the trade and survival of business for local shop owners.
It’s a “national success story”, especially for Cardiff City, with its highstreets reeling in the revenue from dominant coffee chains. It’s an easy transaction for the chain giants, who collect profit from buying low cost coffee beans and selling them for more.
Owning multiple locations allows coffee chains to reap the rewards that independent coffee shops are aspiring to achieve.
Cardiff’s coffee shops have an advantage to secure profit from consumers by offering St David’s Shopping Centre as a perfect hub for coffee chains to infiltrate, easily outnumbering the independently owned shops. It’s a clever mechanism that allows Cardiff to collect revenue and for chains to reap the rewards in return.
Where are the Indie Cafes?
Hidden in the little arcades scattered between the main streets, you can find yourself inside a locally owned business, drinking quality coffee and enjoying a quieter atmosphere away from the bustling of shopping centre visitors.
From Corner Coffee in the High St Arcade to Maple and Bean in the Morgan Arcade, these small independently run coffee shops rely on the survival of consumer duty; for eager coffee drinkers to find them and enjoy what Cardiff City can give that can’t be found in a Starbucks.
With the coffee chains dominating the high-traffic areas of Cardiff, these indie cafe’s need to rely on providing excellent customer experiences to gain recognition and ensuring consumers put their businesses on the map.
Cardiff Central alone has 18 independent coffee shops, putting their share of the market at a disadvantage.
It’s a struggle for indie cafe’s to retain the business they depend on, especially when the stigma for local businesses is that they fail within 5 years of being opened.
“Reviews on Google etc are more important”
Independent cafe’s rely less on brand recognition, and more on the quality of staff and personalisation of experience that attracts customers to come back when they’re next in Cardiff, but they also depend on building relationships with community. They, in turn, give Google reviews, enticing visitors to visit locally owned coffee shops rather than enter a chain.
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Needless to say, this is possible even in a Capital city.
How do they compare?
Naturally, they compete for loyalty. Both need customers returning back, which is a huge factor for success. However, what indie cafe’s have that chains don’t is a quality of service and personalisation that makes it easier for visiting tourists to return.
Profit may come from loyalty schemes on apps promoted by the likes of Starbucks and Café Nero, but building relationships with customers is all too important for independent coffee houses that enhance their relationship with the community and Cardiff visitors.
The experience of which customers have in independent coffee shops is inherently different to the fast-paced chains. One wants you to enjoy your coffee in a relaxing atmosphere, the other is after quick profit and getting through the queue!
Levelling the battleground
With major cities, such as Cardiff, dominated with coffee chains, where does that leave smaller rural towns scattered across the UK? How do they fight for their place in the coffee market?
“The trust means they can get away with poorer service and quality.”
Richard Cole, manager for an independently owned coffee shop, The Green Coffee Machine, in Cheltenham Spa, mentions how “costs are rising across the board”, which is a worry for many business owners who want to retain their consumers with good quality coffee.
Having spoken to Cole about the differences between chains and independents, it’s obvious that rural towns have responded to the slaughter of coffee chains and risen to the challenge to cut them down in their areas.
However, what Cole has no doubt about, is the “quality of customer service” that he prides the shop on. Smaller towns rely on independent business, not chains, to own the coffee market and much more.
Having converted a new shop in 2022, The Green Coffee Machine is testimony of how local support can catapult a new business into a successful one.
“Small independent coffee shops live and die by the quality of the staff”
This quote from Cole puts into place a motto every independent coffee shop lives by. Cardiff shops are no different, and they are in the fight to share the market, to make profit and produce a perfect customer experience to put their businesses on the map in Cardiff City.
Many home natives to Cardiff City can put independent coffee shops front and centre. They’re great little hubs of support and uniqueness.
“Any Starbucks in the world is the same”
After speaking to coffee lover and Cardiff habitant Susannah Cullen, it was expressed how independent cafe’s offer a better suited atmosphere, with diverse coffee menus for a cheaper price. It was made clear that “independent chains are actually cheaper” and “they’ll tell you where it’s made and what charities they support.”
Cullen also voiced the convenience of chains when picking up a takeaway, but Cardiff’s indie cafe’s offer a “place to sit and read” or “see a friend” due to the relaxing atmosphere they provide. This is how independent chains utilise their side of the coffee market.
Perhaps the next time you’re visiting Cardiff; you’ll bypass the chains and find yourself a hidden treasure within the arcades of Cardiff Central!
