The owner of Vape and Mobile, a large vape shop on South Croydon’s Selsdon Road, has argued that his shop is a lifeline for the area.
Mr Patel says he has filled empty shopfronts and has become a key trader in the area, but claims residents hold a grudge against his businesses.
South Croydon residents, particularly elderly pedestrians, have expressed frustration over the shop’s stockpiling of packages outside its door throughout the day, creating obstacles for people trying to get past.
However, during a visit to the shop last week, Mr Patel told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We are running a business, and we contribute more revenue than all of these shops have done in their lifetime. What is their issue?”
Mr Patel’s protestations come following a wave of complaints about what some people see as the shop’s selfish business practices.
Residents have said the lack of space left on the pavement from the delivery build-up makes navigating the area safely difficult for those with mobility issues.
Some have said this has meant wheelchair users cannot pass beyond the shop when the packages are ‘spilling out onto the pavement’. Vape and Mobile is a business-to-business shop.
Its initial success as a shop means it now sells vape products to other shops across the country, as well as within its main shop at 1 Selsdon Road.
Yet, despite taking over two adjoining vacant shop fronts, Mr Patel insists he has no space to store his delivery pallets inside. He told the LDRS that keeping them on the street throughout the day is a ‘necessity’ and believes he is not breaking any laws.
He said: “We are being treated unfairly because we have grown as a business. No one said anything when we were getting a few boxes, but suddenly we started getting a few more palettes that people could see, then they think it starts to become a problem.
“We want to move premises, but now is not the time. We have outgrown it. In recent years we have bought the premises on either side of us, and we have outgrown them. They say ‘you’re ruining our high street’, but we are filling the shops. Have you seen Croydon High Street, and how many empty shops there are?
“I bought all these businesses when they were closed. If I ever left here, who would occupy these buildings? We are running a business, we are employing 20 people, we are paying business rates and VAT on our goods. They only see our boxes just because it’s in sight. We only put the pallets out two hours before they come. We don’t have a choice, it’s out of necessity.”
The shop owner also told the LDRS a councillor had said the presence of the deliveries on the pavements was ‘fine’.
Residents remain frustrated with the shop’s practices, with one taking to the Nextdoor app to say it is driving them ‘crazy’. Selsdon Road is a one-way street, which sees heavy commercial traffic and pedestrian usage throughout the day.
During our visit, the LDRS spoke to several people on the street, many of whom said the constant rush of delivery traffic and the presence of the pallets made the road ‘feel narrower than it actually is’.
One elderly South Croydon resident named Mary told the LDRS: “It just looks ugly doesn’t it, seeing them all stacked up like that.”
Along with the obstruction caused to the pavement, residents have taken aim at the potential damage the pallets could cause to the pavement and what they see as the ‘ugliness’ of the two storage properties on either side of the main shop.
One resident, who did not want to be named, told the LDRS: “The shop has bought up two adjacent units which it uses as warehouses for deliveries, putting up bin bags in the windows, which look a total mess.”
They added: “But I fail to see how buying up three buildings that were previously estate agents, a legal firm, and a beauty salon and putting up bin bags in the windows and using them as warehouses are keeping the high street alive. The legal firm building especially looks practically abandoned and falling apart.”
Despite raising their concerns to authorities, residents say they have not seen any action taken against the shop. South Croydon councillor Michael Neal confirmed to the LDRS that investigations into the shop’s practices were ongoing but could not comment further. However, Cllr Neal added: “I do not concur with the owner’s view that a councillor stated that what he was doing was fine.”
Mr Patel insists he is conducting his business properly and taking measures to ease disruption. He told the LDRS how, despite being in business in the area for 20 years, he still feels some resentment from residents.
He said: “They [councillors] say ‘you have absolutely every right to take deliveries, we only ask you do it as quickly as possible’. It is just a business operating. They just don’t like us, I don’t know what it is.”
Alongside the wave of complaints, Mr Patel has faced a recent uptick in theft from his stock outside the shop. He showed the LDRS videos of people cutting open the packages in broad daylight before making off with handfuls of flavoured vape boxes.
Croydon Council was approached for comment but failed to respond in time for publication.
This article was originally published by a www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .