Lidl and Costa Coffee to close stores in days

Costa Coffee has populated British high streets for years with more than 14,500 shops across the UK.

Now the cafe chain will bid farewell to yet another store following a string of closures throughout February.

The retailer has joined the budget supermarket Lidl in axing sites across the UK before the end of the month in a crushing blow to loyal customers.

According to data from the Centre for Retail Research, the 2023 calendar year saw a staggering 10,494 store closures and 119,405 job losses in the retail sector.

Retailers constantly review where the business needs are which often leads to the closures of long-standing branches and in some cases, the opening of brand-new sites.

Lidl

The budget supermarket brand will see a trio of stores close down before the end of the month.

Shoppers across the North of England will bid farewell to Lidl branches on the final day of February, Thursday 29.

Lidl stores closing:

• Bradford – February 29, 2024
• Layland, Lancashire – February 29, 2024
• Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees – February 29, 2024

The retailer first closed and relocated a few shops in the spring of 2023, some of which were due to the poor condition of the buildings which bosses deemed unfit for purpose.

Others came after replacement stores debuted elsewhere, which meant affected workers were offered roles at alternative locations.

It’s not all bad news for fans of the low-cost supermarket, however, as it has also shared plans to open 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.

Costa

The high street giant Costa Coffee will also lose a branch this week, marking the fifth café to close this year.

Frequented by coffee lovers across the country, the brand will bid farewell to the Erdington High Street branch in Birmingham this Friday, March 1.

According to Costa, the company is focusing on the expansion of its drive-thru sites, of which there are already 300 across the UK.

Almost a dozen of the branded cafes locked their doors for good in 2023 due to each location having an alternative branch nearby.