Major coffee chain with 1,100 stores abruptly shuts branch in shopping centre

A MAJOR coffee chain with over a thousand stores has abruptly shut a “popular” branch in a shopping centre.

Starbucks has announced the closure of one of its Reading cafes, leaving some shoppers “shocked”.

Located on Riverside, at The Oracle Shopping Centre, it is one of the eight Starbucks coffee shops located across Reading.

Punters spotted the coffee shop being boarded up on Tuesday, April 23.

And there is now a sign on the exterior of the building confirming its closure.

The notice said: “We are now closed. Sorry for any inconvenience. Your nearest store is The Oracle, Upper Mall.”

The ‘Starbucks Coffee’ lettering on the shop front has also been removed and now remains blank.

Representatives for the coffee chain said that that the shop had closed as the “area undergoes wider development”.

It is not yet known what will replace the coffee chain’s unit at Riverside.

But there are plans for a “new location in the area” to be built.

A Starbucks spokesperson said: “We regularly review our portfolio to ensure our stores are relevant for our customers.

“Our store in Reading, Oracle Shopping Centre, closed on April 21 as the area undergoes wider redevelopment, but we are excited to announce plans for a new location in the area soon, in addition to two existing stores nearby, as we continue to invest in our UK stores.

“We thank our customers for their loyalty over the years and invite them to find their nearest store on Starbucks Store Locator in the meantime.”

Fans were left surprised at the sudden move with one punter saying they were “sad and shocked”.

Another wrote: “We will start seeing more and more closures on that side of the oracle. As they are demolishing it and turning into flats.”

A third said that it was “inevitable” that businesses would “one-by-one” slowly close down thanks to the rebuild.

Despite the closures, Starbucks lovers will be delighted to know the popular retailer has revealed it is opening the doors for more branches soon.

It has announced the opening of 100 new stores across the UK – which will include a mixture of company-operated and franchised stores.

The brand it is splashing over £30million in order to open the new cafes in the next few months.

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 using the store locator on its website.

What is happening to the hospitality industry?

Many Food and drink chains have been struggling 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.

Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches.

Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.

Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon.

Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.

The brand plans to close 20 loss-making restaurants after a “challenging” start to the year.

Stonegate has raised fears about its survival as it races to plug its debts.