A MAJOR coffee chain with more than 2,000 sites is shutting another of its stores.
Costa Coffee is pulling down the shutters on one of its cafes, which fans have branded a “delightful haven”.
GettyA major coffee chain with more than 2,000 sites is shutting another of its stores[/caption]
The high street favourite has closed several stores in recent months.
Now, the chain has now confirmed to The Sun that its cafe Uppingham will be closing in May.
The site will remain open until then and is operating as normal.
And customers looking to get their caffeine fix will be able to visit several sites nearby, including Lands End Way, Oakham.
A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: “We can confirm that our Costa Coffee store on High Street West, Uppingham, will be closing its doors for trade in May.
“All team members will be re-deployed to other stores. Customers will be able to continue to enjoy their favourite Costa Coffee at our nearest store in Lands End Way, Oakham.”
To find your nearest store or Costa Express machine, you can visit the chain’s website.
Reviews for the store online have been largely glowing in the past, indicating locals will be disappointed to learn of the closure.
One said: “Costa Coffee in Uppingham is a delightful haven for coffee enthusiasts like me.
“The warm and inviting atmosphere, coupled with consistently excellent coffee, ensures a top-notch experience.
“The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, making each visit a pleasure.
“I wholeheartedly recommend this branch for your caffeine cravings!”
While another wrote: “It’s one of the most comfortable places I can go for coffee. The staff are so welcoming and I’d recommend anyone to go.”
A third commented: “Fantastic Costa, friendly staff, quick service…clean…great coffee.”
Costa, which has more than 2,000 sites across the UK, has pulled down the shutters on three shops in the past month alone.
It closed its store on Chiswick High Road on February 6.
The nearest Costa Coffee for locals is now King’s Street in Hammersmith.
Costa Coffee on Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield Place served its last latte on February 14.
Customers can continue to enjoy their favourite Costa coffee at the nearby store on Morningside Road
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.
Costa shops that have closed in 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
Chiswick High Road, London – February 6
Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh – February 15
Erdington, Birmingham – March 3
Rottingdean – Brighton – no date given
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.
“This includes investing in store team training, updating store designs and furniture, introducing our new delicious freshly baked in-store range and installing new innovative technologies.
“Our significant store investment programmes have a positive impact on local economies and communities, creating additional job opportunities whilst enhancing the coffee shop experience for customers.
“We are committed to growing and improving our store offering, investing in local communities, local teams and welcoming customers into warm and welcoming environments.”
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.
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.
What else is happening on the high street?
Retailers have also 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.
Several major brands have also collapsed, such as Wilko and Paperchase and The Body Shop.
Many high street retailers have been struggling to get by, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.
Boots is set to shut another 10 shops in the coming weeks.
The move by health and beauty retailer Boots forms part of plans to close 300 sites.
Joules, known for its wellies and raincoats, pulled down the shutters on another of its stores in Stratford.
Matalan closed down one of its branches in Leeds on February 24.
High street designer brand Kurt Geiger has pulled down the shutters on its shop in Brighton.
Department store Fenwick also shut its flagship London store in Bond Street on February 3.
High-street fashion chain Peacocks closed one of its branches in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, last month.
Peacocks is also pulling down the shutters on its store in Camborne, Cornwall, on April 3, with “a really heavy heart”.
Entertainment retailer HMV also shuttered its branch in Boston, Lincolnshire, on January 27.
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.