If you haven’t already noticed, British coffee chain Costa Coffee has closed six outlets in Singapore over the last three and half months, with their two remaining branches at Holland Village and VivoCity Mall bowing out in the next two weeks.
Costa Coffee entered Singapore in 2012, riding on the wave of generic coffee brands that offered a quick cuppa to the masses who are looking for convenience.
The Final Pour
Hit by hefty rents and labour costs, Costa Coffee’s failure to survive in Singapore is also partly due to the growing popularity of indie cafes and their focus on solid brews.
Over the past 6 years, we’ve seen a rise in popular indie cafes such as Dutch Colony Coffee Co. and Common Man Coffee Roasters who are known for serving up java that are roasted in-house or sourced from roasters around the world. This gives them a slight edge in serving quality coffee at the same prices or even cheaper than the offerings from bigger chains.
Indie coffee shops continue to spring up in Singapore while big-name coffee shop chains are opening up more and more stores to mark their turf.
They’ve done a great job by starting to educate the market on how to appreciate better quality coffee. But whether coffee shops can survive will depend on rental rates.
Or perhaps Costa Coffee was good yet not good enough to make up for their lack of character. They weren’t distinctive enough to beat fellow big brands like Starbucks or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I mean, honestly, when have we ever craved a drink from Costa?
Fret not, if you love Costa Coffee, no other stores in Southeast Asia are affected by the move, though the company did not say why the chain was puling out of Singapore. This also means, the next nearest Costa Coffee outlet for you would be JB.
Whatever the case, if you love Costa Coffee, you might want to head down to their two remaining outlets at Holland Village and VivoCity Mall soon for your coffee fix.
Costa Coffee Holland Village
Address: 269 Holland Ave, Singapore 278990
Opening Hours: Sun – Thurs: 7am – 9pm, Fri – Sat: 7am – 10pm
Costa Coffee VivoCity Mall
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-100 VivoCity, 098585
Opening Hours: 9am – 10pm, Daily
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(Header Image Source: The Chosen Glutton)
