Costa confirms cafe closure as customers left heartbroken | UK | News

A Costa Coffee branch will close its doors at the end of this month, ceasing to serve loyal customers for more than a decade. The official closing date has not yet been confirmed, but a company spokesman said the branch would close ‘later this month’. The outlet affected is the main Costa location in the Great Hall of the Trafford Centre, Manchester, which has been trading there for almost 20 years. Welcoming millions of visitors every year, Trafford Center hosts over 200 shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as a cinema.

Despite the store’s longevity, it will soon stop serving drinks. However, the NEXT store and the coffee shop inside the Odeon cinema will remain open.

The company said its employees will be assigned to nearby branches.

A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: Manchester Evening News: “We can confirm that our Costa Coffee store in Trafford Center will close for business at the end of this month. Our talented team of baristas will be redeployed to our nearby stores in central Manchester.

“Our Costa Coffee stores at NEXT and The Odeon within Trafford Center will remain open so our customers can enjoy their favorite Costa coffee.”

One customer reacted to the news online by commenting: “No! I go there all the time.”

More than 20 branches have closed in the past year, including the latest closures in Westbourne, Pinner and Whitstable.

The company has approximately 2,000 sales points in the UK and Ireland.

Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by two Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa.

They initially started by supplying roasted coffee to caterers, hotels and restaurants via black taxis. Their passion for quality coffee led them to open their first store on Vauxhall Bridge Road in London in 1981.

Over the years Costa has expanded in the UK and internationally, becoming one of the largest coffee chains in the world. It is the second largest coffee house in the world after Starbucks.