Costa Coffee Closures UK: Full List, Timeline and Latest Updates

Last Updated On – 02-10-2026

Costa Coffee has closed a number of UK branches during 2024, 2025 and 2026, but the closures do not represent a nationwide withdrawal from Britain.

Instead, the picture is more complicated. Traditional high-street branches have disappeared from several towns and cities, while Costa continues to open drive-thrus, airport locations, supermarket cafés and other convenience-focused sites.

As of 1 October 2026, some of the most recent confirmed closures include Costa branches in Leighton Buzzard, Abergavenny, Cults in Aberdeen, Ashford and Tadcaster.

A Hale Barns branch also closed in May 2026 after 11 years of trading, although this location subsequently reopened under a franchise operator. It should therefore no longer be described as permanently closed.

The closures come as Costa and the wider hospitality sector face changing customer habits, higher employment and property costs, strong competition and pressure on traditional town-centre footfall.

However, Costa has not said that one single factor is responsible for every branch closure.

At the same time, the company has continued opening stores and investing in drive-thru locations, travel hubs and supermarket partnerships.

The pattern therefore looks more like a reshaping of Costa’s UK estate than a wholesale retreat from the market.

Which Costa Coffee Stores Have Closed in the UK?

The following timeline brings together confirmed and widely reported Costa Coffee closures from recent years.

Where an exact final trading date has been publicly confirmed, it is shown below.

Some older locations appeared in national closure roundups without a consistently reported final trading date, so these are identified separately rather than assigning an uncertain date.

Costa Coffee Closure Timeline: 2024 to 2026

A number of other locations have also appeared in national Costa closure roundups, including Packhorse Road in Buckinghamshire, King Street in Maidstone, Rottingdean near Brighton, Cheltenham House of Fraser and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.

However, exact final trading dates for some of these older closures are not consistently documented in publicly available reports. They should therefore be described as reported closures rather than being assigned an unverified date.

What Is the Latest Costa Coffee Closure in the UK?

One of the latest confirmed Costa Coffee closures took place in Leighton Buzzard on 24 September 2026.

The branch at 23A&B High Street closed permanently, with customers directed towards Costa’s Grovebury Road Retail Park location instead.

Costa did not publicly identify a specific commercial reason for closing the branch. Team members were expected to move to surrounding stores.

The closure is particularly significant because it demonstrates the contrast developing within Costa’s property strategy. A traditional high-street location disappeared while retail park and drive-thru formats remained available nearby.

Only three days earlier, another Costa branch on Abergavenny High Street closed on 21 September 2026 after operating in the town for around 13 years.

Again, staff were offered opportunities at surrounding stores, while customers were directed towards the drive-thru location at Llanfoist.

Why Did the Costa Coffee in Cults Close?

Costa Coffee closed its store at The Courtyard on North Deeside Road in Cults, Aberdeen, on 27 August 2026.

The announcement was made shortly before the branch’s final day.

Costa confirmed that baristas working at the location would be relocated to nearby branches. Customers were directed towards another Costa at Tesco on Rousay Drive in Aberdeen.

This follows a recurring pattern seen in several closures: rather than withdrawing from an entire city or region, Costa closes an individual location while keeping alternative stores operating nearby.

What Happened to the Costa Coffee in Ashford?

The Costa Coffee inside County Square Shopping Centre in Ashford traded for the final time on 18 June 2026.

In this case, the shopping centre confirmed that Costa had chosen not to renew its lease.

This is an important distinction because not every Costa closure should automatically be blamed on declining sales or rising costs.

Lease decisions, property strategy, redevelopment and the availability of alternative branches can also determine whether an individual café remains open.

The former Costa unit was subsequently prepared for another food and drink operator, illustrating how shopping centres frequently replace departing brands rather than leaving units empty indefinitely.

Did Costa Coffee Close in Tadcaster?

Yes. The Costa Coffee branch on Tadcaster High Street closed at 4pm on 14 June 2026 after around 11 years of trading.

The closure generated considerable concern locally because the café had become an established part of the town centre.

Discussion surrounding the site also focused on the condition and ownership of the building. However, claims about individual property issues should be separated from Costa’s wider national strategy.

The Tadcaster closure was a permanent branch closure rather than a short refurbishment.

Has the Hale Barns Costa Coffee Permanently Closed?

No. This is one of the most important updates for anyone tracking Costa Coffee closures in 2026.

The Costa Coffee at Hale Barns Square closed on 15 May 2026 after approximately 11 years of trading.

At the time, the closure appeared permanent and was widely reported as another loss for the local high street.

The situation subsequently changed.

A franchise operator took over the premises and reopened the location as a Costa Coffee after a short period of closure.

For that reason, Hale Barns should remain in a historical closure timeline because the original operation did close, but it should not appear on a current list of permanently closed Costa locations.

This example also demonstrates why closure lists can quickly become inaccurate when cafés reopen, relocate or move between company-owned and franchise operations.

Which Costa Coffee Branches Closed in 2025?

The heaviest concentration of widely reported closures occurred during 2025.

The year began with the closure of Costa in Lyndhurst on 31 January, followed by Bridlington on 2 March.

April then saw closures at Shell Highworth Service Station and Lyme Regis. Stockton-on-Tees followed at the end of May.

The summer brought another cluster of closures. Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh stopped trading on 23 June, Whitstable High Street closed on 29 June and Marlborough’s High Street branch shut on 17 July.

Westbourne’s Seamoor Road café, which had served the area for approximately 15 years, closed on 14 September.

Towards the end of the year, the Costa kiosk at Andover Bus Station closed on 2 December before the Greengates branch in Bradford shut permanently on 21 December.

Greengates had traded at the busy Bradford crossroads for more than a decade and became one of the most widely reported Costa closures of late 2025.

Why Is Costa Coffee Closing UK Stores?

There is no single confirmed explanation applying to every Costa Coffee closure.

Individual sites can close for very different reasons, including lease expiry, property condition, local trading performance, landlord redevelopment, changes to franchise arrangements or a decision to consolidate customers into another nearby branch.

The wider business environment nevertheless remains challenging.

Coffee shops are labour-intensive operations and also face substantial expenditure on rent, business rates, energy, ingredients and property maintenance.

The wider impact of higher costs on UK businesses in 2026 has been particularly noticeable in retail and hospitality.

Costa itself has also been dealing with financial pressures. A closer examination of Costa Coffee’s losses and operating challenges shows how labour expenses, commodity prices and competition can affect margins even for one of Britain’s largest café brands.

Changing consumer behaviour is another factor.

Customers increasingly expect convenience, particularly from businesses located around retail parks, supermarkets, commuter routes and major roads.

Traditional town-centre cafés must therefore compete not only with independent coffee shops but also with drive-thrus, bakeries, fast-food operators and newer specialist coffee brands.

However, these wider trends should be treated as context rather than proof that they caused every individual closure.

Is Costa Coffee Closing Down in the UK?

No.

There is no evidence that Costa Coffee is closing its entire UK operation.

Individual branches are closing, but the company continues to operate a very large UK network and is simultaneously investing in new stores.

This distinction is important because closure stories can create the impression that Costa is carrying out a mass withdrawal from Britain. Its actual strategy is more selective.

Costa has been closing some stores while opening others in locations where it sees stronger long-term demand.

Is Costa Coffee Still Opening New Stores?

Yes.

The closures have taken place alongside substantial investment elsewhere in Costa’s estate.

During 2026, Costa reached 400 UK drive-thru locations and outlined plans for up to 40 additional drive-thru stores.

It has also continued investing in high streets, shopping centres, airports, retail parks and supermarket locations.

Examples during 2026 include a new 24-hour Costa at London Luton Airport, further supermarket expansion, additional retail park drive-thrus and a new store at Manchester Airport Terminal 3 in September.

Costa has also continued seeking additional property opportunities across England, Scotland and Wales.

This means a high-street Costa closing does not necessarily indicate that the company is shrinking in the surrounding region. In several cases, customers are redirected towards newer retail park, supermarket or drive-thru branches.

Why Are Drive-Thrus Becoming More Important to Costa?

Drive-thrus allow Costa to serve a different customer journey from traditional town-centre cafés.

A high-street café is heavily dependent on pedestrian traffic. A drive-thru can instead target commuters, families, retail park shoppers and motorists travelling between destinations.

The format can therefore capture demand at times and locations that traditional cafés cannot.

Costa’s continued investment in drive-thrus suggests the company believes convenience-led coffee purchases will remain an important part of the UK market.

This does not necessarily mean that high-street cafés will disappear. Costa is still investing in selected city and town-centre locations.

Instead, the company appears to be creating a more mixed estate covering high streets, travel locations, supermarkets, shopping centres, retail parks and drive-thrus.

What Happens to Costa Coffee Staff When a Branch Closes?

Costa has repeatedly said during recent closures that affected employees are offered opportunities to move to other nearby stores where possible.

This happened at several locations covered in the closure timeline, including Leighton Buzzard, Cults, Tadcaster, Andover and other branches.

Redeployment is easier in areas where Costa operates several stores within a relatively short distance.

Employees can potentially move into company-operated or franchise locations depending on the ownership structure and vacancies available.

Pay has also continued changing across the business. London Business Insider’s breakdown of Costa Coffee pay in 2026 covers current barista rates and how pay differs across roles and locations.

Redeployment, however, should not automatically be interpreted as confirmation that every employee accepts or is able to take another role. Commuting distance, working hours and individual circumstances can affect whether relocation is practical.

Are Costa Coffee Closures Part of a Bigger UK High Street Problem?

Costa’s closures form part of a much wider reshaping of Britain’s town centres.

Coffee shops are not alone in reviewing their physical estates.

Retailers and hospitality businesses have increasingly examined which locations still justify rising rents, wages, energy expenditure and other operating costs.

London Business Insider has tracked similar changes through its coverage of Poundland store closures and Marks and Spencer café closures.

However, the picture across the high street is not simply one of decline.

Vacant units are frequently taken by independent businesses, restaurants, service providers, leisure operators or competing national chains.

Some established brands are simultaneously closing weaker branches and investing heavily in better-performing locations.

Costa provides a particularly clear example of this change.

The company can close a traditional town-centre café while opening a new airport branch or drive-thru shortly afterwards.

How Many Costa Coffee Stores Are Closing?

Costa has not announced one nationwide closure programme with a fixed number of UK branches scheduled to disappear.

This makes claims such as “Costa is closing 20 stores” or “Costa is closing 22 stores” potentially misleading unless the date and period covered are clearly explained.

Several national reports have attempted to count closures over particular periods, but some lists combine sites that actually closed at different times.

For example, Chiswick High Road and Bruntsfield Place closed in February 2024, while Uppingham shut in May 2024.

These locations should not technically be described as closures “since September 2024”, despite occasionally appearing in later roundups framed that way.

A date-by-date timeline is therefore more reliable than relying on a single headline closure number.

Could More Costa Coffee Stores Close?

Further individual closures are possible.

Costa continually reviews its store network, while leases expire and franchise operators make decisions about their own estates.

That does not mean another branch will necessarily close simply because it is located on a high street.

Store performance depends on local footfall, rental agreements, competition, the condition of the property, neighbouring developments and whether Costa already has alternative locations nearby.

The strongest indication of Costa’s longer-term strategy comes from what it is doing at the same time as closing stores: expanding drive-thrus, refurbishing existing cafés and opening in airports, supermarkets and other high-footfall destinations.

The direction is therefore one of portfolio optimisation rather than blanket closure.

What Should Customers Check Before Assuming Their Costa Is Closing?

Customers should distinguish between a permanent closure and a temporary shutdown for refurbishment.

Costa regularly refurbishes existing stores, and short closures can sometimes be mistaken for permanent departures.

The most reliable indicators of a genuine closure are an announced final trading date, a closure notice displayed at the branch, confirmation from the shopping centre or landlord, staff redeployment information, removal from Costa’s active store listings, or marketing of the premises to a new tenant.

Social media rumours alone should not be treated as confirmation.

Final Thoughts

Costa Coffee closures have continued into 2026, with notable branches disappearing from Tadcaster, Ashford, Cults, Abergavenny and Leighton Buzzard.

These followed a larger collection of closures during 2024 and 2025 across locations including Chiswick, Edinburgh, Uppingham, Burnley, Lyndhurst, Bridlington, Lyme Regis, Stockton-on-Tees, Whitstable, Marlborough, Westbourne, Andover and Bradford.

However, the closure story should not be viewed in isolation.

Costa continues to open stores, invest in existing locations and expand its drive-thru estate.

Its UK strategy increasingly appears to favour a mixture of high-performing traditional cafés and convenience-led locations in retail parks, supermarkets and travel hubs.

The result is a changing Costa estate rather than a disappearing one.

Some familiar high-street branches will continue to be lost, but new Costa locations are simultaneously appearing elsewhere as the company adapts to how and where customers now buy coffee.