Costa closure news a fresh blow for retail park

COSTA Coffee in Ebbw Vale’s Festival Park will close its doors for the final time this October, following a mass exodus of retailers at the once booming shopping centre.

Other shops such as Holland and Barrett, Pavers, and John Jenkins have all left the site in recent months, with the large coffee chain becoming just the latest to vacate the deserted walkways.

It will close its doors for the final time on Friday, October 9, and is a move locals now fear could be another step towards the closure of a park that once held so much promise for the area.

Staff confirmed news of the closure via Facebook in a post that read: “This was a decision that wasn’t taken lightly but was one that seemed inevitable after months of lockdown.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to our loyal and supportive customers, who have always continued to make us smile, laugh and even those that have made us cry.

“We have had some memorable moments in store and would love for you to send us pictures and memories so we can create a little snapshot of our time at the park.

“Nine staff have potentially lost their jobs, and being redeployed or transferred to other stores won’t be viable. We are all absolutely gutted, and are all still trying to come to terms with the situation.”

It is yet another blow to the shopping centres, leaving it with only two other stores currently open on the site, including Select and Sports Direct.

Local shopper Anne Jenkins said she was saddened to hear of the latest closure, though says she isn’t in the least bit surprised.

She said: “It’s very sad to see what has become of Festival Park over the last few years, and this just seems like another step closer to it shutting down completely.

“There’s only two shops here now so it’s hard to see why anyone would visit.”

While it seems unlikely that the coffee chain will relocate to another location closer to Ebbw Vale town, there will be a new drive-through Costa opening nearby in Brynmawr over the coming weeks.

A Costa Coffee spokesperson, said: “We can confirm that the Costa Coffee store in Ebbw Vale will be closed from Friday the 9th of October 2020. We are currently in the process of redeploying team members to other areas of the business where possible.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience the closure may cause customers.”