Fat Face Looks Likely To Become A Starbucks

The coffee shop chain plans to open in Turnham Green Terrace

Fat Face in Turnham Green Terrace is to close and it looks likely to become a Starbucks coffee shop, the fourth branch of the chain to open locally.

An application has been made to Hounslow Council to make alterations to the store to bring it into line with the Starbucks brand.

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The application is also seeking external seating to be allowed for six tables and for three wooden benches to be placed in front of the shop window.

Two other branches of Starbucks in Chiswick are on the High Road. The international company has its UK head office at Chiswick Park, where there is also a Starbucks coffee shop. The new one therefore brings its number of outlets in the W4 area to four.

The American coffee company founded in Seattle in 1997 has 23,768 locations worldwide. The company name originates from the chief mate in the novel Moby Dick. It has attracted controversy through its aggressive use of branch expansion to squeeze out competition and its tax avoidance which has in some years led to its UK operations paying a minimal contribution.

The closure of the Fat Face store in Chiswick was announced last year and the lease was advertised for sale. The chain sells outdoor casual wear and accessories for men, women and children.

The Ealing and Westfield White City branches closed last year. From now on, local customers will have to travel either to Kingston upon Thames or into Kings Road to shop at Fat Face.

Fat Face is owned by private equity group Bridgepoint, which in 2013 appointed former M & S boss Stuart Rose as Chairman.

The company was originally founded in 1988 by Tim Slade and Jules Leaver as a business selling teeshirts at ski resorts. The name "Fat Face" was inspired by the Face de Bellevarde slope in Val-d'Isère. The company opened its first retail shop on the Fulham Road in 1993 and in 2014 had over 200 stores in the UK and Ireland but has been in financial difficulties.

January 23, 2018