Fine foods firm the East India Company to open in Bluewater

Fine foods firm the East India Company to open in Bluewater

by Chris Price cprice@thekmgroup.co.uk

The East India Company is set to open a store in Bluewater.

A company first established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I is to open its first UK store outside London in the county. 

 

The East India Company is set to open a store in Bluewater.

Fine food retailer the East India Company is set to open in Bluewater on Monday, October 7.

The brand opened its first UK store in London’s Mayfair in 2010, selling products which have become quintessentially British.

The new 450 sq ft store will stock fine teas and coffees, biscuits, chocolate, nuts, jams, marmalades and mustards.

When the company was given a royal charter in 1600, merchants would sail from London and pass Bluewater’s base at Greenhithe on their way to the East, before returning with herbs and spices, teas, coffees, chocolates and fruits.

Vice president of operations Manan Bhansali said: “Bluewater is a wonderful shopping destination and we are looking forward to sharing our high quality teas, coffees and fine foods with customers.

“We felt drawn to this location for our first store opening outside of London because of the deep connection that Kent has with our history.”

SPECIAL BULLETIN: Claire Tiltman Investigation

Gareth Johnson 

MP for Dartford

SPECIAL BULLETIN:

This Special Bulletin is to update you on some important developments today:

Claire Tiltman Investigation

You may have seen reports in the news that Kent Police have searched an address of a property near Dartford in relation to their on-going investigation into the murder of Claire Tiltman. Claire was murdered in 1993 in Greenhithe and her killer has never been brought to justice. You may recall that in January the friends of Claire Tiltman organised a walk to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and in March this year I met with the Home Secretary, the Chief Constable and the officer leading the investigation into her murder. With the news today that an address near Dartford has been searched, it is clear that the effort to secure justice for Claire continues. I am reassured that Kent Police are working diligently, leaving no stone unturned to bring Claire's killer to justice. This is very much an active investigation and this development should be welcomed.

Changes to the Dartford Crossing Local Resident Discount Scheme

The Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, announced today, that in response to a campaign from myself and the MP for Thurrock, an extension to the existing local residents' scheme will come into force from March 2014. A copy of the letter from the Department for Transport can be found at the bottom of this bulletin. The existing residents' scheme allows Dartford residents to pay £10 for 50 free crossing trips and then an additional fee of 20p for further trips. It has been announced today that from March 2014 Dartford residents will have the option of paying a £20 fee to give them unlimited trips over the crossing. This scheme will also be extended to all local owners of privately registered vans. I very much welcome the announcement today regarding these changes to the residents' scheme. It will help both local residents and local businesses who, for the first time, will receive a discount on using the crossing. I still maintain that the tolls should be removed in their entirety but this change will significantly help. Since becoming MP for Dartford I have continually lobbied the Department for Transport over the Dartford Crossing. As of Autumn 2014 the existing toll booths will be replaced with a free-flow system, meaning that the congestion and pollution caused by the booths will be removed. In the debate today, I also raised the subject of the serious police incident last Friday which caused hours of delays following the closure of the crossing and I told the Minister that "the residents of Dartford are sick to the back teeth with the problems emanating from the Dartford Crossing". The response from the Roads Minister was that an in-depth report into this incident would be prepared with a view to mitigating the risk of such problems in the future.

 

Dartford Crossing

CONCRETE BARGE GREENHITHE

Artists impression of the old concrete barge at Greenhithe converted to new public fishing Pier

It has been suggested by some local GMRA members that they would like to see the old concrete barge restored to community use, this is after all part of the areas rich maritime heritage. However, before taking on such a huge a restoration project as this we would very much first like to hear the views of the wider community, especially those residents living on Pier Road and Bendigo Wharf.   

We are also interested in learning more about the history of the barge which can be seen from the public causeway on Pier Road Greenhithe just behind the Pier Hotel Pub.

Tell us what you think. Would you support a project to restore the concrete barge. What, if any, are your concerns and, if you have any objections please let us know know. 

Also do you know who owns the barge?

Please get in touch via email gmra@greenhithemarina.com or leave a comment below. 

We look forward to hearing from you.