West Ham Co-Owner David Gold has defended the club on what is perceived to be broken promises over local traders coming to the Stratford with the club.
A West Ham supporter called Mark messaged David Gold on social media
“They promised Nathan’s & other traders they would take them with us when they wanted everyone to agree to the move. Then dumped them”
Gold replied “Mark this is not true. dg”
As recently announced the Ribman of West Ham who used to sell his famous rib rolls from outside the Boleyn pub will open his stall outside the London Stadium at Champions Place from the Liverpool home game. He hopes to sell 1,000 rolls per game to help fund the extra rent which he will pay to stadium caterers Delaware North but it is understood that the club helped him get the stall for a discounted rate.
Nathans Pie and Mash was also reportedly offered a stall outside the stadium but declined the offer explaining they were a local family business. Instead, Karren Brady invited the London Pie and Mash company to sell their products outside the London Stadium with a single Pie and Mash costing £6.50 and that stall has been open since for a number of home games now.
The club also helped facilitate meetings with the Hammers Social club and Newham council to look at potential premises in Stratford to move into but their committee is currently split and undecided whether to move or not.
The club says they welcome any of the former Boleyn ground traders applying for a stall outside the London Stadium although they acknowledge they must meet strict food hygiene requirements and pay increased rent to Delaware North at a fair commercial rate.
In the past, Green Street traders paid a few quid to house owners to use their front gardens on match days. In reality, the days of the Green Street West Ham sweet man ‘two for a pound, anywhere you like’ are long gone. Whether they could ever make their business model work at the London Stadium is debatable but there is already a ‘Pick and Mix’ sweet stall outside the stadium by Kingdom of Sweets.
Yep, those days certainly have gone for us. Although when you go to away grounds you still get much cheaper food and stools selling sweets in the area of the ground. Sunderland for example, directly outside the ground 2 x 1/4 burgers and 1 x jumbo hot dog all for £8.50 that would cost you £20 outside our stadium. And thats pretty much the norm at all the grounds i have been too. Parking at Sunderland 100yds to the ground £3, most places £5 and plentiful.
Also in Sunderland you can rent office space for £5psf whereas in London you will pay £80psf. You can buy a 4 bed detached house for £200k whereas in London a 2 bed apartment will cost you £1.2M. It’s not rocket science is it Russ?
And that’s Stratford vrs Sunderland Riverside, the gap is wider 5 miles up the road in Mayfair. We are not in Green Street no more live with it cos it ain’t going to change back.
London… not just a West Ham thing.
A big difference at the LS is it is in the middle of the OP & there’s no where for independant traders to set up cheaply.
Some of the traders around West Ham had it good for a long time. The Stall holders paid no rates, no rent and I won’t even ask about income tax. They bunged the householders a few quid for the use of their front gardens. At the end of the day Nathans and Ken’s Cafe paid rates,rent, insurance etc.
So OK the rent by Delaware North is much higher but the crowds are twice as big too!. The model is supply and demand. If Kingdom of sweets, burger stalls and pizza stands can pay the sky high rents to Deleware North and still make money so can the local traders from Green Street. The Ribman is a prime example. he never gave up in his quest to be the Ribman of West Ham again.
His rib rolls are £7 each https://theribman.co.uk/pages/menu
If he sells 1,000 per game he will be turning over £7,000 per home match or £133,000 over a season for the 19 home fixtures. Maybe more than £150,000 if you include cup games.
True, he will have to pay his high rent, liability insurance, pay his staff and buy the ingredients but he should still be able to make a decent profit to make a living from it.
For 40 days a week lol. Not bad work if you can get it. Does he trade anywhere else?
Lmao I mean 40 days a year 😂
He has a stall in Brick Lane Market
The ribs are very good, I preferred the Truman brewery to be honest at least you can get a decent pint there. Hopefully he will still keep that open also.
It’s all change but change happens unfortunately sometimes to just have to move on. Personally I have become hooked on a West Cornwall Pasty, they do a very large one indeed, before a game….mind you, going to have a rib roll at the Liverpool game.