A MAJOR coffee chain with 2,000 UK stores is set to close another city centre site within weeks.
The chain has already shut the doors to dozens of its sites in recent months.
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Coffee giant Costa Coffee is set to shut its store in Inverness, Scotland, in July, a spokesperson has confirmed.
The store is on Inglis Street, right in the city centre of the Highlands city.
Fans of the store were distraught by the loss of the shop.
One person said: “There’s not enough coffee shops in the town centre as it is, what’s everyone going to do ? Make coffee using a kettle?
“This isn’t the dark ages ffs”
Another posted: “Sorry for anyone losing their job, but there are a lot of vacancies in the town. This particular set up is not a great loss.”
While a third wrote: “Lovely staff in that branch always happy and friendly hope they get employed in another shop.”
A fourth said: “Another one bites the dust.”
A Costa Coffee Spokesperson told the Inverness Courier: “We can confirm that our Costa Coffee store on Inglis Street in Inverness is due to close for trade in July.
“We are currently having conversations with all of our store team members, and aim to re-deploy our talented baristas to nearby stores.
“Customers can still enjoy their favourite Costa coffee at the Inglis Street store until July, with the next nearest Costa Coffee store found in the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness.”
Costa says it regularly reviews its store estate across the UK to ensure it’s right for its communities and teams.
To find your nearest store or Costa Express machine, you can visit the chain’s website.
Which Costa Coffee shops have closed?
The following sites have already closed over the last year, although a couple will be returning to their local areas.
Each of the sites which have closed has further Costas nearby, which you can find using the locator tool on the chain’s website.
Here are the Costa shops which closed in 2023:
- 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
The following branches closed, or are set to close this year:
- Packhorse Road, Buckinghamshire – January 10
- King Street, Maidstone, Kent – January 20
- Chiswick High Road, London – February 6
- Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh – February 14
- Rottingdean, Brighton and Cove – February
- Erdington High Street, Birmingham – March 1
- Cheltenham (inside House of Fraser) – March 23
- Stockton Heath, Warrington – April 11
- High Street West, Uppingham – May
What is happening to the high street?
Several other retailers have been struggling to get by over the past few years.
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 having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Troubled fashion brand Superdry has said it is looking at various “cost-saving options” after reports it is considering a major restructuring which could include store closures and job cuts.
Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.
Major banks have also announced multiple branch closures.
Barclays is to start pulling the shutters down on 14 sites in England, three in Wales and three in Scotland as soon as April.
Even charity shops are struggling Oxfam confirmed it would close eight of its UK stores last year.
But 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.
The Frasers Group has announced it will be taking over the former John Lewis site at Queensgate Shopping Centre, Peterborough to open another new concept store.
B&M is opening six new locations at the start of 2024, including in former Wilko stores it has taken over.
WHSmith has said it intends to open 15 new stores across the UK but they won’t be on the high street.
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.
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