THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 126, July 2023
Dog of the month: Wilfred The Bottle Shop, Mortonhampstead
Trade pulls together to save popular London indie Former manager Will Gee hits crowd funding target and reopens P Franco in Hackney as 107 Wine Shop & Bar
A
beloved independent wine shop
and bar that had looked doomed
to closure has been brought back
to life thanks to a fundraising campaign from a member of the team.
P Franco in Hackney, which closed in
April, has relaunched as 107 Wine Shop & Bar.
The site was originally part of the We
Are Noble Group, which also included the Noble Fine Liquor shop and Bright bar.
P Franco manager Will Gee says: “We
Are Noble called us into a meeting on the Wednesday and told us they wouldn’t be reopening any of the sites.
“I think it was the following Friday that
I called the landlord and asked if I could
Despite the challenges, a quarter of indies say they will increase their direct imports this year
potentially take it on. I had very little
idea at that point; I was just gathering
information. Then I spoke to a few people about setting up a crowd fund.
“It happened so quickly. There was
£12,000 in three days, and it got to just shy of £20,000 in about four weeks. At
that point I had another look at what we needed and realised that was about the right amount.
“With Crowdfunder you have to reach
the target to get the cash, so I messaged
everyone to let them know I was bringing Continues page 2
Gee (second from left) with former members of the We Are Noble team