National cafe chain pulls out of Wigan town centre

Its outlet, on the first floor of the Grand Arcade, shut down suddenly several days ago.

However the mall’s manager says that other eateries there are thriving and the space will be actively marketed immediately to find a replacement.

There are high hopes that several vacant major units in the shopping centre will be filled in the coming months too: something that was first announced on Wigan Today earlier this year.

But after welcoming several new tenants in recent weeks, there is no disguising the bad news.

Centre manager Mike Matthews said: “It is very disappointing that Costa has closed.

“We are unable to comment on Costa’s business, but the environment for trading there is good.

"Both of the other establishments on the first floor are doing very well. Little Kitchen say they’ve never had such good business since moving there.

"And we are now actively trying to market the space to attract a new operator.

"New tenants are coming in which is benefitting these traders.”

The Costa at the Grand Arcade was run by franchisees and there are other Costa outlets in Wigan, not least at Robin Park.

But, as Wigan Today has recently reported, the retail park itself hasn’t been immune to the struggles of the retail economy, having lost Argos, Wickes and, most recently Pound Stretcher.

Mr Matthews has previously called on Wigan town centre employers to encourage more of their staff to come into the office again, post-Covid, because home-working has had such a negative impact on town centre retail and hospitality.

A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the Costa Coffee store located in the Grand Arcade Shopping Centre in Wigan, closed its doors on June 25.

"We are supporting our team members to identify opportunities at our other local Costa Coffee stores.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience the closure may cause but are pleased to be able to continue serving customers their favourite Costa coffee at our nearby store in Robin Park, Loire Drive, Wigan.

"Customers can also visit www.costa.co.uk/locations/store-locator/map to find their nearest store.”

No explanation was given as to why the outlet had closed.