A MAJOR coffee chain with 2,000 stores is set to shut down another branch following a string of closures.
Shoppers fear their “streets will be empty” as Costa Coffee store announced plans to cease operation.
Getty Images – GettyCosta Coffee is set to close another branch after announcing closure of two stores earlier this month[/caption]
A Facebook user has alerted public of the store closure in Erdington in February.
“Costa coffee closing in Erdington in Feb wonder what that will become,” the person wrote.
The coffee giant’s representative has confirmed the news, announcing that the shop’s door will close in March instead.
A Costa Coffee Spokesperson said: “Our Costa Coffee store on Erdington High Street will close its doors for trade on the 3rd of March.
“Our talented team will be re-deployed to nearby Costa Coffee’s in the local area.
“Customers can continue to enjoy their favourite Costa coffee at our Drive Thru store which recently opened on Kingsbury Road, Erdington.”
The spokesperson added that the customers could locate the nearest store to them on the company’s website.
It was met with disappointment from the brand’s fans.
One person wrote: “There’ll be nothing left up there.”
Another one added: “Shame by this time next year will be a ghost town.”
“I go there every week but its going down hill very fast,” someone else said.
Reviews for the shop online describe it as “a great place to have a nice hot drink” and say the staff are “very friendly and lovely”.
But the store’s closure has been an even more devastating news for the local music and art lovers.
A jazz live band “Rhythm and Bone” has been performing on the grounds of Costa branch for ten years.
The group has announced on Facebook that their free lunchtime concerts are coming to an end as they struggle to find a new venue.
The band member wrote: “One week to go before Costa Coffee Erdington close for Rhythm and Bone lunchtime gig.
“Once a month for the last ten we’ve played. Now struggling to find a venue!”
They continued: “We don’t get paid for these gigs, we see them as enhancing the culture of Erdington by bringing New York Supper club music to the village.”
Elsewhere, Costa has geared up to close two more branches in just a few days.
Costa Coffee earlier announced its store on Chiswick High Road would shut down by February 6, 2024.
Meanwhile, Costa Coffee on Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield Place will serve its last latte on February 14.
The high street favourite has already shut the doors to dozens of its sites in recent months.
Costa says it regularly reviews its store estate across the UK to ensure it’s right for its communities and teams.
This can include the closing or renovation of existing stores, or the opening of new stores.
The following sites have already closed over the last year, although a couple will be returning to their local areas.
Costa shops that have closed 2023/2024
Each of the sites which have closed have further Costas nearby, which you can find using the locator tool on the chain’s website
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
Packhorse Road, Buckinghamshire – January 10
King Street, Maidstone, Kent – January 20
This comes after Poundland announced it will be pulling down the shutters on its shop in Scotland for good at the end of February.
Confirming the closure to The Sun, a spokesperson for Poundland said it had been unable to either renew the store’s lease or find another site in Galashiels.
They said: “We’re as disappointed as colleagues and customers that we’ve been unable to either renew our current lease or find alternative premises in Galashiels.
“Sadly this means the store will close at the end of February. If we can find the right premises in future, nothing would please us more than to return to the town.”
It said it will do everything it can to look after employees at the store.
What else is happening on the high street?
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.
Food and drink have also 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.