Edinburgh cafes: Coffee giant Starbucks closes Lothian Road cafe suddenly

Starbucks has suddenly closed one of its city centre cafe's in Edinburgh with customers branding it a ‘terrible loss’.

Bosses confirmed that the store closed on December 10 as part of a review of their portfolio, saying it had to make sure stores were in places that are ‘relevant’ for customers.

Starbucks told the Evening News that all staff were transferred to nearby stores with no job losses as a result of the closure.

The sudden closure left customers disappointed after they visited the branch this week and found the lights off and doors shut. Some took to X, formerly Twitter, to ask the coffee giant if it had permanently closed.

One concerned local said: “Have you shut the Starbucks on Lothian Road in Edinburgh? Can’t order to it on the app and the store is in darkness and looked like all the signs had gone.” Another said it was a ‘terrible loss’ if the store was shut for good.

It comes just a few weeks after the chain opened a new branch on Princes Street, their biggest store in the UK in recent years.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said: "We regularly review our portfolio to ensure our stores are in places that are relevant for our customers while also maintaining healthy business growth. We can confirm that our store on Lothian Road closed on 10 December.

"We would like to thank our customers for their loyalty over the years and let them know their nearest Starbucks store is the recently opened store on Princes Street."