Having been on the verge of closure, I Camisa & Son has received a revival thanks to a 2022 public petition signed by over five thousand people including local residents, chefs, celebrities, tourists and more.
Since its grand opening, back in 1961, this legendary Italian deli has welcomed the rich & famous and general public alike, providing a true taste of Italy from the heart of the City of London. The store quickly became the talking point of all Londoners, from all different backgrounds, and was heralded for the vast selection of imported Italian specialities, many of which couldn’t be found anywhere else in the UK.
The world financial crisis in 2007 impacted business dramatically, causing the costs of imports to the UK to rise. As a result, together with inevitable increased in-store pricing, the majority of the UK’s small, independent businesses saw sales dwindle as shoppers moved to the large supermarket chains for their daily food shops in search of savings. UK consumer habits quickly adopted this to be the norm and I Camisa & Son found it extremely difficult to recapture the footfall it was so accustomed to for many years. So much so, in fact, that the deli struggled to keep afloat financially each year here-on.
With a deteriorating and aged interior, and investment off the cards, I Camisa & Son finally came to close its doors in December 2022. A reduced tourist headcount in London paired with the new ‘working from home’ approach adopted by the majority of Soho’s local businesses, consequence of the Covid-19 global pandemic between 2019 and 2020, plus the economical impact of the Russia-Ukraine war meant that customer visits were few and far between, even on weekends – something that had never been experienced in the store’s 60-plus years of existence!
Interviewed in 2022, I Camisa & Son’s owners told CODE Hospitality that “staying open would be ‘impossible’… It’s a historic brand and we love it, but everything is so difficult. We don’t want to close it down, but in the end it’s pointless to carry on because we’re losing too much… Energy prices, rates, VAT, and salaries are all too high now and we cannot raise prices because people would not come [to the deli].”
As news broke out in early 2023 about another central London institution being forced to close its doors forever, the online petition generated huge interest, including London-wide headlines on television, radio and newspapers. In response to the advertisements, the local council reached out to the business owners and the landlord. A successful discussion led to a support agreement to save the establishment and I Camisa & Son was to reopen for business as usual in May 2023.
I Camisa & Son has since received a full refurbishment – the store’s interior has been brought back to life but still in keeping with tradition and authenticity, and customers can even find an improvement in the deli’s offerings: pop by and you can now enjoy a proper Italian coffee-to-go using the blends available to purchase in-store. From flour to tomatoes (plus Panettone), the impressive array of high-quality Italian produce remains, all shipped directly from Italy every week, including fan favourites such as Parma and San Daniele cured hams, D.O.P. cheeses, fresh pasta, salame, Italian wines, and, of course, the famous in-house handmade ‘panini’ packed full of wonderful flavours!
Today, I Camisa & Son is known worldwide, partly thanks to the invention of the internet, with many tourists making the deli one of their destinations during their visit to the Capital. Be welcomed by typical warmth and aromas that can only be experienced, outside of Italy, at I Camisa & Son.
I Camisa & Son
61 Old Compton Street, London W1D 6HS
T: 0207 437 7610
OPENING HOURS > Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00