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SHOPPERS have been left devastated after learning that a popular coffee chain is closing three branches this weekend.
Nespresso is closing three town centre boutiques, leaving shoppers concerned about where they can recycle their used capsules.
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The pod coffee maker is closing sites in Bristol, Reading and Solihull on Saturday, March 30.
Customers who frequent Bristol’s boutique in Cribbs Causeway received an email from Nespresso stating: “Your local Bristol Boutique will close its doors for one last time on 30.03.24.”
The Cribbs Causeway store is located on the top floor next to H&M.
Nespresso customers could take their used capsules to the boutique for recycling.
However, once the Cribbs store is closed, the closest sites will be Reading, Southampton or Birmingham.
Nespresso’s store, located in The Oracle, Reading, has also announced that it will close for good on Saturday.
The popular coffee brand’s boutique in Solihull’s Touchwood Shopping Centre will also close on the same date.
A spokesperson for the brand said: “There are plenty of ways to continue the Nespresso adventure.
“All your favourite coffees, plus many more, remain at your fingertips and are available to order anytime on our website, via the App or by phone.”
Reacting to the closures on social media, one person said: “I’m outraged.”
Another said: “That’s a shame – Looks like an online subscription from now on then!”
Others have complained about no longer being able to recycle their pods in the locality.
However, Nespresso fans still have a number of options when it comes to recycling their pods.
Customers can visit https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/sustainability/recycling and book a free collection with Royal Mail.
They can also take full recycling pouches to any of Royal Mail’s 14,000 drop-off points.
Nespresso isn’t the only coffee shop chain to pull down the shutters on stores in recent days.
Yesterday, Costa Coffee announced that it will pull down the shutters on its cafes in Stockton Heath, Warrington.
The coffee chain has closed several stores in recent months.
Which other food and drink chains have closed?
Food and drink chains, in general, have been suffering in recent months as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses struggled to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Costa isn’t the only coffee chain to close sites in recent months.
Caffè Nero, which launched in the UK in 1997, pulled down the shutters on half a dozen sites in 2023 in a blow for caffeine lovers.
However, one of the six sites was shut for temporary renovation while another was a relocation.
Four coffee houses did close their stores for good though, including its Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, branch which shut on June 3.
Its site in Witney closed two days later, then the branch in Wigan’s town centre on June 25.
International coffee giant Starbucks is pulling down the shutters on one of its coffee houses in just a few days.
The chain will be closing its branch in Dalton Park Shopping Centre, County Durham on March 10.
At the end of last year, Starbucks shuttered their coffee house in Botanic Avenue, Belfast, for good.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches.
In early 2023, burger chain Byron Burger collapsed into administration resulting in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Prezzo, the Italian chain, also revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants last year as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.
Although some chains have managed to persevere, like Greggs which announced huge expansion plans.
Bakery chains Wenzel’s the Bakers and Patisserie Valerie are also looking at opening new branches.
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 UK Flooring Direct, 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.
Last year, around 14% of insolvencies were in retail businesses, according to official figures.
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