Tesco, for its part, says it has never hidden its involvement with Harris and Hoole.

BBC: Tesco effect: How big firms quietly own little brands

Hitcham has campaigned to stop a Harris and Hoole opening in his town.

BBC: Tesco effect: How big firms quietly own little brands

But what seems to have irked anti-corporate coffee lovers about Harris and Hoole is that Tesco has not bought into an existing brand, but is instead attempting to build one from scratch.

BBC: Tesco effect: How big firms quietly own little brands

Hitcham, an antiquarian bookseller, fears the arrival of Harris and Hoole and other chains will damage the character of the Kent seaside town and force genuine independents out of business by driving up rents.

BBC: Tesco effect: How big firms quietly own little brands