Major coffee chain with over 2,000 branches to close ‘always busy’ branch in just DAYS leaving shoppers ‘gutted’

A COFFEE GIANT is due to close one of their shops in the heart of a city centre.

The chain has over 2,000 stores and has already closed dozens of sites over the past few months.

Inverness Costa Coffee shop in Scotland will be closing on July 24, Costa has confirmed.

The store is located on Inglis Street beside the National Memorial of Scotland.

Unhappy locals expressed their disappointment on Facebook saying: “Gutted, it’s the preferred choice out of that and eastgate.”

Another said: “Costa and FarFeched closing in the space of a week? Sad times.”

“Every time I go past it’s busy” a third commented.

The nearest coffee shop will be Inverness – Eastgate Shopping Centre, just a three minute walk away.

“Costa in the shopping centre, the staff are all lovely, very friendly and helpful plus there tea and coffee is excellent” said a more hopeful local.

Costa has said all staff working at the shop will be transferred to other branches.

There are also Costa outlets at Inverness Retail Park, Inshes Retail Park and the train station.

Plus, over 20 Costa machines are scattered throughout the city.

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.