Coffee lovers on Haverstock Hill may be asking:”What’s going on with our cafes “? First, Starbucks closed and now Costa Coffee has done the same. (Pic above).
With commercial rents and other local charges for such premises soaring to more than than £100,000 a year perhaps it’s not surprising, but Costa is saying little.
When asked, the company would put out only the following statement:
“We can confirm that our Costa Coffee store on Haverstock Hill has closed for trade. All team members have been offered redeployment opportunities. Customers can still continue to enjoy their favourite Costa coffee at our nearest store on Chalk Farm Road”.
Theories about the closure soon sprang up on social media. Lack of parking was blamed and cycle lanes on both sides of Haverstock Hill came in for yet more criticism for putting off passing trade, as Morfudd Richards, the owner of the nearby GreenberryHill restaurant claimed when closing down a year ago.
Camden denies cycle lanes are responsible and has pointed to a MasterCard survey which claims an increase in business and dining since the lanes were installed.
However, it’s not all bad news: at the last count on Haverstock Hill there were still around a dozen other premises offering flat whites, croissants and all the other favourites.
Could it be that’s the real reason for the two cafes closing – simply fierce competition ?
