‘Real nail in the coffin’ as another of UK’s oldest coffee chains shuts ALL its locations after 60 years

A BELOVED coffee chain has caused a stir after being forced to close all of its stores. The chain has said the closure is due to rising costs, as well as other factors that have led to this decision of “great sadness”. People in the communtiy have complained about the closure of the chain Credit: Getty Coffee chain Merrie England confirmed earlier this week it would be closing all six of its locations across West Yorkshire. News of the closure has led many customers to take to social media to dub it an “end of an era”. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! One fan wrote: “This is very sad, part of our town’s history and features now gone.” Another commented: “That’s a real nail in the coffin for the town centre.” A third added: “Oh no this is devastating. The quality and consistency over that time has always been so good.” Gary Taylor, of Brighouse Retail Independent Shopkeepers (BRISK), also reflected on the Brighouse branch of Merrie England closing, calling it a loss for the community. He said: “The closure of any long-established business is regrettable, and The Merrie England has been part of the town for many years. “Like many retailers across the country, the business was operating in a challenging environment, with increasing operating and overhead costs alongside wider pressures affecting the retail sector.” Most read in Money In Merrie England’s closure-confirming statement, it highlighted that lower footfall had also become an issue. The chain said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision, reached after facing a sustained increase in the cost of goods, business rates, energy costs, and the wider rising costs associated with staffing and government policy. “Alongside these pressures, we have also seen a reduction in footfall and customer spending, with many people understandably unable or unwilling to pay the prices that businesses now need to charge in order to survive.” Taylor also noted that other businesses have seen less footfall in the area since town centre improvement works began. Mr Taylor added: “Since construction work began, footfall in the town centre has reduced. This is a situation being reported by a number of local businesses, with some traders in Phase One indicating reductions in trade of between 40 and 70 per cent, alongside continued pressure from rising costs.” Comment now