In a surprise announcement, TODAY revealed that Costa Coffee will be departing our shores soon. Very soon. If you haven’t yet noticed, the British coffee chain had been gradually shuttering six of its stores over the last three months, and only two are left: One at Holland Village, and the other at VivoCity.
Still, the remaining two won’t be around much longer — they’re slated to close within the next two weeks.
A Costa spokesperson told the publication that the company already knew it would shut down all of its locations since the start of 2018. So if you’re one of the (we’re assuming rare) fans of the brand here in Singapore, then take note that the Holland Village outlet will cease operations on Friday, while the VivoCity one will follow suit next Sunday.
It’s been six years since Costa Coffee arrived in Singapore in 2012, initially riding on the wave of generic coffee brands that offered the masses easy access to a quick cuppa for convenience sake. But apart from the usual high rental prices and labor costs, TODAY attributed Costa Coffee’s failure to survive in the local climate to the growing popularity of indie cafes and their focus on solid brews.
Or perhaps it just wasn’t distinctive enough to beat fellow big brands like Starbucks or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Really, we can’t remember the last time we craved a drink from Costa. Or anyone, really. Whatever the case, the chain is apparently still hanging out around Southeast Asia — Singapore is the only country it’s exiting.
