Portland Bookmakers replaced by Coral
Brockley Road bookies, Portland Bookmakers, who promised to shake up the Brockley betting landscape with a new approach to high street gambling, has fallen to the ever-present Coral. The shop on the corner of Adelaide Avenue is currently being refurbished by the new tenants.
Portland arrived in Brockley in controversial fashion, replacing a former video shop and taking their bid to change the building's use to the courts, in a case that Lewisham Council eventually lost.
During this period, Portland claimed local punters would appreciate the upmarket approach, which would differentiate them from the likes of Coral. Evidently, instant coffee in paper cups wasn't enough of a differentiator to help them take on the gambling goliaths.
Thanks to those on Twitter who confirmed the story.
20 comments:
Why so mung about it? They had decent coffee without a pretentious price... we've plenty of artisan fare if that's what you'd prefer?
We always knew Portland we're wrong to set up shop 'round here. Shame they didn't listen to the some of locals in the first place. Thanks to them we're now stuck with a High Street giant- they wanted to see off. A very depressing story.
No book on The Turner Prize, that was most likely their undoing.
LO bloody L
I kind of liked them. I posted somewhere else on this site about their discreet face onto the street, and that they enhanced the individuality of the area being as they were local and came with unique storefront livery.
The manager there could work out alternate multiples for you if you wanted that, also they fostered a clientele which seemsd to see being there as a retirement rather than a whole career choice (unlike the Deptford bookies) Never tried their coffee however.
From bad to worse... I really hope it fails. I would like to see a nice independent business set up there. Something classy like specialist sport / leisure shop or musical instrument shop... Anything but a food place (we have enough) or bookies!
Apparently, the initial and main ambition of the man who opened the Portland gambling estlablishment on the corner of Brockley Rd and Adelaide avenue, was to annoy the guy running the Coral bookmakers over the road. (Enter the personal bookmaker disputes of South London). Obviously, he has irritated him enough to sell him his gaff and make a tidy profit in the process.
Errm..Corals is a big chain.
Even if someone did want to irritate Tesco I don't think that setting up a corner shop in the face of one of their behemoths would be a strategy.
surely a nice little cafe would be ideally placed to open a premises n the stretch of road
or a business offering to teach people how to darn their socks
There's a pretty limited stock of shops in Brockley, what a pity we have so many bookies...
Lets hope that the Brockley Society makes Coral adhere to the conservation area rules like they did with Portland. The Portland shop was inoffensive
I still dream of opening a record store/cafe like Moonbow Jakes on that stretch, but not so encouraged by the fact the aforementioned proprietor had to close...
There are so many places to eat in Brockley so why are people thinking another one would be better than a bookies... Which is also a very bad idea.
So all that guff when they got planning permission, about a new betting company providing competition in the local area, is now completely irrelevant! I hope the council revokes the site's planning permission ... but of course they can't do that once it's been granted, can they.
What a swizz.
Well the Coral conversion of the former Portland bookies is hideous in the extreme and almost looks like a super bookies, such is the size of the site. Makes you realise just how subtle Portland’s design was, as in fact they had initially stated that they would be. Never thought I’dsay that I’m sorry to see them go.
Portland were proper honest fare.
Yes Mezzer it's horrible.
Someone's told me that they've kept on the old Portland staff there. That would be something I suppose, for the staff, I mean, not the environs.
I'm surprised that they could get away with this shop frontage. At least with most bookies you don't see the interior. This is horrible.
Only just noticed this earlier, prescient post:
Lets hope that the Brockley Society makes Coral adhere to the conservation area rules like they did with Portland. The Portland shop was inoffensive
Hi You guys are on another planet. I love the new coral. I can explain why if you care but it seems like you don't. My email is m.noble@lawyer.com.
Post a Comment