A MAJOR café chain with 473 locations in the UK is due to shut a popular branch with staff ‘left in tears’.
Pret A Manger has announced its closing the store, just three years after it re-opened.
Getty - ContributorThe closure of the branch has seen staff ‘left in tears’[/caption]The Gallowtree Gate branch in Leicester City Centre, initially closed in 2020 due to “the effects of the pandemic“.
However, it made a shock return following an announcement two years later.
It re-opened on July 25, 2022 at the same location.
But rumours started swirling earlier this week that the popular chain was to shut for good once again.
A source told Leicestershire Live that staff were told on Thursday and that there were “lots of tears”.
A spokesperson for Pret A Manger confirmed that they will be leaving Leister for a second time.
They did not give a specific date for the closure but it is expected to be some time in July.
They said: “It has been a pleasure serving our customers at Pret’s Gallowtree Gate shop in Leicester.
“Closing a shop is never a decision we take lightly, and our priority now is supporting our team members.”
Shoppers were recently stunned when another Pret A Manager branch suddenly closed with no warning in April.
The store in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, caught loyal customers by surprise and had been a well-loved part of the outlet centre for years.
Another chain, Starbucks, which has over 1,000 UK venues also abruptly pulled the plug on one of its stores in Oxford last month.
Pret opened its first shop in London in 1986 and the chain employs 12,500 staff in more than 700 locations across 21 countries.
The Sun reported previously reported that Pret’s owner, Luxembourg-based Jab Holding, was planning a stock market flotation and could consider selling a stake in the business first.
JAB, which also owns Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Keurig Dr Pepper, has ambitions in the insurance and asset management industry and wants to reduce its reliance on the consumer sector.
The chain came under fire from customers in April following sweeping changes to its Club Pret subscription.
Once offering five free barista-made drinks a day for £30 a month, members now only receive 50 per cent off five drinks a day instead.
What is happening to the hospitality industry?
By Laura McGuire, consumer reporter
MANY Food and drink chains have been struggling in recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches.
Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon.
Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.
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