Coffee giant Costa has closed several cafes this year, including one in Inverness, Scotland, in July.
Now Starbucks is following suit, bidding farewell to a popular branch in England later this month.
Starbucks fans in Witney who frequent the Market Square store in the Woolgate shopping center will see the doors locked after a few days.
The coffee shop chain will leave the shopping center location on August 16, much to the disappointment of local shoppers.
Visitors have praised the “very nice staff” who work at the Witney store, with several claiming to be “regulars”, according to Google reviews.
The coffee giant confirmed the branch closure with a sign on the door of the Woolgate Center cafe.
A note signed by “the Starbucks Witney team” said: “Thank you to everyone who shared a drink with us.”
Locals expressed their disappointment at the news on Facebook, with one person writing: “Sad to see such a great place in Witney close! Much better than Sainsbury’s.”
Another gushed: “Staff always so lovely and welcoming! Sad to see it and them go.”
Some residents have speculated that the store is not going in a good direction, moving to the former Costa Coffee premises on Welch Way, which is currently vacant. However, the global coffee giant said there are no plans to open a store there.
Commenting on the Witney closure, a Starbucks spokesperson said: “We regularly review our range to ensure our stores are relevant to our customers and we can confirm that the Woolgate Center Starbucks store, Witney, will close on August 16, with all partners in this store having relocated to other nearby Starbucks stores. “
While it’s a shock to fans of the branch, it’s not the first branch to close in recent months.
In April, Starbucks announced it was closing one of its Reading coffee shops. Prior to this in March, locals were saddened to learn that their Dalton Park store in Murton, Country Durham would be going out of business.
One person commented: “Wish all the lovely staff the best of luck. They were always very friendly and made the best coffee.
“Much better than Costa. I will miss it, it was a wonderful treat in Dalton Park. There are no other decent coffee places there now.”
