Greggs fans are mourning the closure of a popular branch in London. The bakery chain has pulled down the shutters on its Great Portland Street location for good, leaving customers heartbroken. Greggs has over 2,000 branches across the UK and has become a beloved high street staple. The bakery chain was founded over 80 years ago in Newcastle upon Tyne and has gained a loyal fan base. But some customers have been left devastated following the closure of their favorite branch. Taking to social media, one fan posted: “Greggs near Broadcasting House has passed away. RIP you will live on forever. Can’t believe it. I wanna run to you.” Another added: “This is awful news.” A third said: “Could have broken to it gently.” While another person commented: “I am heartbroken.” The branch has received 358 positive reviews on Google, with one customer even labeling it as “amazing.” It has also been praised for its “friendly” customer service and “damn good” breakfast options. A picture of a closing down sign in the window of Greggs was posted on social media, reading: “Sorry, we’re closing on April 18 – your nearest shop is 101 Tottenham Court Road.” Greggs has confirmed that the lease on the location has ended and that staff have been relocated to other stores nearby. This closure comes just weeks after the chain announced it would be closing down one of its branches in Edinburgh this summer. The bakery, located at 357/359 Leith Walk, is one of the busiest lunch and breakfast spots for people passing by. While the date of the closure has not been confirmed, a new store is opening up about a mile away in the spring. Earlier this year, Greggs also closed its store in London Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, on Saturday, February 24. It also shut its branch in Whitley Street, Reading, for the last time on Saturday, February 10. Last August, Greggs revealed it had shut 44 shops in the first half of the year, but had opened 94 branches over the same time frame, including three outlet stores. While the high street has generally struggled since the pandemic with huge numbers of store closures, Greggs has continued to expand rapidly. Greggs opened several new stores last year, including a drive-through and an outlet shop. Greggs opened a record 186 new stores in 2022 and now operates at more than 2,300 locations. Since the pandemic, many restaurants and pubs have closed down, and others have set about restructuring by closing down less profitable outlets. One of the most recently affected is pizza giant Papa Johns, which currently operates 524 locations in the UK across a mixture of owned stores and franchised outlets. The popular chain has announced that it will be shutting down 43 stores by next month. Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny’s closing branches. In January 2023, Byron Burger fell into administration, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs. Also, Italian dining chain Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants back in April due to soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk. Just this week, a restaurant run by celebrity chef Monica Galetti and her partner David Galetti announced it would be closing for good. The last day of service for the restaurant will be April 16. In January 2024, many restaurants just did not reopen after Christmas. Marco Pierre White’s restaurant Mr White’s Steak, Pizza, and Gin House, located in London’s iconic West End, closed indefinitely. Meanwhile, Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar & Grill in Cardiff also permanently shut. Ex-masterchef finalist Tony Rodd was also forced to close his restaurant Copper & Ink earlier this month after he reportedly received a “terrifying” £80,000 energy bill. Retailers have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming. The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested. Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector. It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022. The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good. Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops, and Debenhams. “The cost-of-living crisis, inflation, and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said. “Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages, and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.” Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic, and Tile Giant. The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganize and cut costs rather than the business failing. However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses. The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
Greggs Branch Closure Brings Heartbreak to Sausage Roll Fans
