AN independent baker has been forced to close a year after campaigning against a national chain being allowed to open on his doorstep.

Tony Parker, 46, who had run Loughton Patisserie and Coffee Shop in The Broadway, Debden, since 2005, said his trade had dropped so much since Greggs opened in the same street that he had to sell his lease and lay off his six staff.

“Trade dropped off immediately,” he said. “We had a lot of regular customers and we lost them.

“We couldn’t compete price-wise with Greggs because we’re a small bakers and they’re a nationwide chain.

“Their costs are going to be lower because they’re buying so much in bulk.”

He and fellow independent business Sprays Bakery petitioned against the council letting the empty shop to another bakery last year.

“I understand they’re losing money if shops aren’t rented,” he added. “But if you’re doing something that’s already there, you’re not attracting more customers into the area.

“They’re just looking at rent and they don’t care if there are six of the things. At the moment, they just see it short-term.”

Peter Spray, 53, who owns Sprays Bakery, said trade had dropped by a fifth since Greggs opened.

“We’ve done quite a few promotions to try and pull it back,” he said. “People were going to go and investigate Greggs, but the trade's not come back like we hoped it would.

“I don’t think Greggs’ product is particularly good, although it looks very good, but their advertising and marketing is amazing.”

Bakers also have the government’s controversial plans for a ‘pasty tax’ looming over them, after chancellor George Osborne said in his latest budget that baked products served hotter than room temperature should be subject to VAT.

“There’s been a petition put in to hopefully stop it,” said Mr Spray. “For in-store bakeries, which means you have an oven in the back of a bakery, in theory, you’ve got VAT on bread.

“It’s a totally grey area at the moment.”

The council said when it leased the shop to Greggs that it had a responsibility to accept the best prices for its premises.

“We welcome a breadth of users of the highest quality and that it why The Broadway is such a vibrant, attractive shopping area,” a spokeswoman added.

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