Major coffee chain with 2,000 branches close site for final time in HOURS – see full list of closures
A MAJOR coffee chain with over 2,000 branches is set to close one of their beloved stores for the final ever time in just hours.
Costa Coffee on Edinburgh‘s Bruntsfield Place will grind its final bean soon as the store officially shuts tomorrow on Valentine’s Day.
The sad closure was confirmed by Costa back in December, but the reality is finally sinking in as residents count down the hours until the shutters are finally slammed shut for good.
A Costa spokesperson told The Sun: “We can confirm that our Costa Coffee store on Bruntsfield Place will close its doors for trade on the 14th of February 2024.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
“Customers can continue to enjoy their favourite Costa coffee at our nearby store on Morningside Road.”
Locals took to social media to give their upset reactions to the closure.
One person said: “God almighty so many businesses losing in Edinburgh, the council needs to fix the rates so this doesn’t keep happening.”
Another added: “Bit of a shame, we like Costa and it’s always busy when we’ve been there.”
While some others were not so disappointed about the closure and saw it as a positive move for other independent coffee shops.
“We have too many coffee chains in this city! Let the independent businesses thrive again”, one added.
While another said: “Means more business for independent cafes.”
Full list of Costa closures
ALL of the following Costa sites have closed down in the past 12 months.
2023 closures
- Coliseum retail park in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire – June 3
- Welch Way, Witney – June 5,
- Wigan town centre – June 25
- Five Rise Shopping Centre, Bingley – July 9
- High Street, Worcester – July (relocated September 15)
- Lowestoft’s North Quay retail park – July 23 (refurbishment)
- Church Street, Oakham – September 15
- West Bridgford, near Nottingham – September 22
- Commercial Street, Newport, Wales – October
- Church Street in Malvern, near Worcestershire – November 17
- Gatwick Airport South Terminal – November
2024 closures
- Packhorse Road, Buckinghamshire – January 10
- King Street, Maidstone, Kent – January 20
- Chiswick High Road, London – February 6
- Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh – February 14
Luckily, all of the stores do have further Costa stores nearby, which you can find using the locator tool on the chain’s website.
Food and drink closures
Food and drink chains in general have also been suffering in recent months as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches.
In early 2023, burger chain Byron Burger collapsed into administration resulting in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Prezzo, the Italian chain, also revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants last year as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.
Lidl will be pulling the shutters down on its site in Thornaby later this month.
The bargain retailer has confirmed the sites in Stockton-on-Tees will shut on February 29.
What else is happening on the high street?
Earlier on today, hundreds of jobs have been put at risk as the UK arm of Body Shop entered administration.
FRP Advisory has been brought in to restructure the beauty and cosmetics company, which has around 200 stores across the UK.
A Body Shop statement said: “Administrators will now consider all options to find a way forward for the business and will update creditors and employees in due course”.
Retailers have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year and more are on their way.
Sales volumes dipped by 3.2% in December, data from the Office for National Statistics suggests, down from a rise of 1.4% a month before.
Numerous high street brands have collapsed into administration in the last 12 months, including major discounter Wilko.
But it has since returned to the high street under The Range’s ownership, and Wilko branded items are being stocked in The Range stores.
Both M&Co and Joules are among the well-known brands which went bust in 2022.
Paperchase then collapsed into administration at the end of January last year and all 106 stores later closed for good.
The good news
Thankfully some shops are bucking the trend and opening new locations.
Primark said it will open five new branches, and one is coming in just weeks.
B&M is opening six new locations at the start of 2024, including in former Wilko stores it has taken over.
Beauty retailer Sephora is opening its third location in Manchester this year.
Another skincare and make up icon, Avon, plans to open shops in the UK for the first time in its over 100-year history.
Costco is looking to open 14 new locations in the UK over the next two years, while Greggs will add up to 160 branches this year.
See the full list of shops opening on the high street in our round up.