Local business Crumbs Salad Sandwich Bar digs itself down for another year facing big brand companies now that students have settled back into Bangor.
The sandwich bar, situated on the high street next to charity shop Oxfam, has already been running for 12 strong years under the ownership of the Thomas family. However, despite being a healthier and cheaper choice, Crumbs has faced a dip in sales over the past few years due to the presence of larger franchises such as Greggs and Subways. Speaking to the owner, Stephanie Thomas, and her husband David, she tells Seren how people are encouraged nowadays to buy into the larger franchises, despite the fact that they are less healthy options and charge extortionate prices. “People buy into the brand franchise, even if that means travelling further out of Bangor, to the industrial estates, rather than shopping closer to home.”
A supporter of the local economy, all of the produce that Crumbs uses is from local suppliers, using the local butchers, bakers and drink suppliers as often as they can, meaning that everything that they sell is fresh. “Whilst the credit crunch has had an effect on us, and the branded names have bigger buying power so they can bulk buy for cheaper, we choose to support our local economy as best we can.”
The Thomas’, from Anglesey, revealed: “It didn’t used to be so much of a problem when Woolworths and the office buildings were open down here at the end of the high street, but since they’ve closed it has become less busy.” Despite this, the sandwich bar’s opening hours have now been extended to include Sundays, appealing to both old and new customers alike.
