COFFEE KICK
‘Will be sorely missed’ sob fans as coffee chain with 2,000 branches to shut store in weeks following string of closures
The coffee chain has closed several stores in recent months
A MAJOR coffee chain with more than 2,000 sites is shutting another store for good.
Costa Coffee is pulling down the shutters on its cafe in Stockton Heath, Warrington.
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The store will cease trading on Thursday, April 11, when shoppers will need to venture to Golden Square to get their Costa fix instead.
A spokesperson for the chain said: "We can confirm that our store on London Road in Stockton Heath will be closing its doors for trade on April 11, 2024.
"We are currently working closely with our talented team members to re-deploy them to other Costa Coffee stores where possible."
Reacting to the news on Facebook, shoppers have said the venue will be "sorely missed".
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In another post, one person said: "I'm gutted I love that Costa and the staff are all lovely."
Another said: "Crying shame, the lack of coffee shops in Stockton Heath is a real worry!"
"What shame was always busy when I went in," said a third shopper.
The coffee chain has closed several stores in recent months.
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Costa, which has more than 2,000 sites across the UK, pulled down the shutters on three shops in the past month alone.
It closed its store on Chiswick High Road on February 6.
Why are so many big shops closing stores?
Costa Coffee on Edinburgh's Bruntsfield Place served its last latte on February 14.
The Costa Coffee in Erdington, a suburb of Birmingham, shut down for good on March 3.
Fans of the coffee shops were not happy about the closure and called for it to be saved.
Costa also ground its last bean in the Sussex village of Rottingdean, Brighton and Hove.
It's not all bad news though because the chain has also opened dozens of sites and drive-thrus over the past year.
A Costa Coffee Spokesperson said: "As the Nation's Favourite Coffee Shop, with over 2,700 Costa Coffee stores across the UK&I we regularly review our store estate.
"We invest heavily in opening new stores, relocating stores and investing in store designs to ensure they are right for the customers and communities they serve.
"We have exciting plans across our property estate in 2024.
"As well as opening at least 50 brand new stores, including many relocations, our store refresh programme will upgrade hundreds of existing stores in communities, towns, and cities up and down the UK."
Which other food and drink chains have closed?
Food and drink chains, in general, have 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.
Costa isn't the only coffee chain to close sites in recent months.
Caffè Nero, which launched in the UK in 1997, pulled down the shutters on half a dozen sites in 2023 in a blow for caffeine lovers.
However, one of the six sites was shut for temporary renovation while another was a relocation.
Four coffee houses did close their stores for good though, including its Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, branch which shut on June 3.
Its site in Witney closed two days later, then the branch in Wigan's town centre on June 25.
International coffee giant Starbucks is pulling down the shutters on one of its coffee houses in just a few days.
The chain will be closing its branch in Dalton Park Shopping Centre, County Durham on March 10.
At the end of last year, Starbucks shuttered their coffee house in Botanic Avenue, Belfast, for good.
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.
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Although some chains have managed to persevere, like Greggs which announced huge expansion plans.
Bakery chains Wenzel's the Bakers and Patisserie Valerie are also looking at opening new branches.
Why are retailers closing stores?
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 coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre's director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is "less bad" than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
"The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend," Prof Bamfield said.
"Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult."
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023's biggest failures included UK Flooring Direct, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
Last year, around 14% of insolvencies were in retail businesses, according to official figures.
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