Sheffield’s independent businesses say they are ready to compete against multinational chains as the city centre continues its development.

As Sheffield’s Heart of the City project continues to attract big businesses, it is also offering the opportunity for the growth of independent firms.

This can be shown with the expansion of HYGGE cafe, which is opening a new store in Elshaw House after building a strong identity through their Danish-inspired atmosphere in both Fitzalan Square and Eyre Street.

Their sustainable business model focuses on ethical sourcing and community support, shown by prioritising partnerships with local suppliers.

This has meant that they can offer a more personalised experience to customers compared to the multinational chains that are also part of the redevelopment.

Marmadukes, which has three venues in the city, opened its Cambridge Street branch in 2020.

Owner Tim Nye said: “The good bit is that the city of Sheffield is very much a good fit with independents. It’s people, the customers prefer great little independent businesses to thrive.

“The important thing for me is that they have to be great or at the very least better than the corporates who can of course rely on their brand recognition.”

The new developments have also drawn attention from visitors outside the city, which adds footfall that can benefit local brands.

However, independent firms’ expansion into the city presents different challenges. The greater competition with an increased amount of coffee shops in the area means cafes like HYGGE could struggle to stand out.

Mr Nye echoes this sentiment. He said: “Big companies have the buying power and finance to respond quickly and if it fails they just move on to the next site. A failure for an independent can be terminal and sometimes they have just been unlucky.”

This risk could lead to HYGGE directly competing with multinational chains, as with the expansion comes greater pressure to maintain their ideals that got their success in the first place.

But despite these initial challenges, HYGGE owner Alex Grady remains positive.

He said: “We are very confident that our new flagship store facing Pound’s Park is going to hit the ground running.”