Major coffee chain with 1,300 stores to close popular branch in weeks
A MAJOR coffee chain with 1,300 stores across the UK is pulling down the shutters on one of its branches in weeks.
The popular site in Northampton will wave goodbye to customers on January 19.
The Starbucks branch inside the Cineworld at Sixfields Leisure will permanently close in a blow for caffeine addicts.
It comes as Cineworld announced six of its cinemas, including the Northampton site, will close following a restructuring process.
A spokesperson for Starbucks said: “Following Cineworld’s announcement that they are closing, our store inside Cineworld Sixfields will also close alongside it on January 19, and we are in the process of working with our employees to offer them positions at nearby stores.
“We thank our customers for their loyalty over the years and invite them to find their nearest stores in Northampton, Market Square and St James Retail Park.”
Starbucks shoppers and locals have been left gutted after finding out the Sixfields branch is closing for good.
One said: “Leave the cinema open including the coffee shop.”
A second said “day ruined” while a third simply added “nooooo”.
A fourth chipped in: “That was my biggest fear.”
It comes as Starbucks is set to close its location in Dumfries, Scotland, on January 12 in a blow for the high street.
The closures aren’t the first announced by the US-based chain in recent months either.
In April, it announced the closure of one of its Reading cafes, leaving some shoppers “shocked”.
Back in March, locals were saddened to hear their Dalton Park store, in Murton, Country Durham, would be closing down.
One said: “Wish all the lovely staff good luck. They were always very friendly and made the best coffee around.
“Much better than Costa. Will miss it, was a lovely treat at Dalton Park. No other decent coffee places there now.”
Elsewhere, Starbucks pulled down the shutters on its coffee house in Botanic Avenue, Belfast back in November 2023.
It’s worth bearing in mind, retailers and chains often close branches while opening them in other areas based on demand and shopper trends.
For example, the Northampton branch is closing because the Cineworld is closing permanently.
Sometimes branches close because the lease is expiring, rents have increased or because the area is being redeveloped.
Branches closing doesn’t always mean a company is struggling.
In fact, Starbucks has revealed it is opening more branches soon.
It announced the opening of 100 new stores across the UK earlier this year – including a mixture of company-operated and franchised stores.
The brand is splashing over £30million in order to open the new cafes.
The coffee giant already has 1,066 UK branches – 318 of which are company-owned and 748 are run by licensees.
You can find your nearest Starbucks branch by visiting starbucks.co.uk/store-locator.
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 Paperchase, Cath Kidston, 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.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
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