Costa Coffee's Retreat in Ningbo Signals Wider Challenges for the British Chain

Costa Coffee has closed its last regular store in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, marking a quiet exit from the city after 16 years. The Jiangbei Xinjie location shut its doors, leaving only a hospital outlet and a transportation hub store. The chain once had eight stores in Ningbo but began contracting in 2020. Nationwide, Costa has closed 23 stores in the past 90 days while opening only five, with about 300 remaining across multiple cities.

The closures have saddened longtime customers who valued Costa's consistent quality and comfortable seating. One recalled saving pocket money for a dine-in cup; another remembered ordering after lunch with colleagues. Similar shutdowns have been reported in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Tianjin. As the British brand that once competed with Starbucks recedes from city streets, its departure highlights shifting tastes in China's evolving coffee culture.

Recently, a netizen from Zhejiang posted that the last regular Costa store in Ningbo had quietly closed, sparking widespread discussion. Costa, which once had 8 stores in Ningbo, has now withdrawn all its regular outlets, leaving only a hospital store and a transportation hub store. Meanwhile, news of Costa store closures has also emerged in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and other places. Data shows that in the past 90 days, Costa opened 5 new stores but closed 23, with about 300 stores still in operation. This British brand that once competed head-on with Starbucks is gradually disappearing from city streets. Loyal customers miss its consistent quality and comfortable third space, and also regret this silent farewell.

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Recently, a netizen from Zhejiang posted a thread titled "Ningbo's last regular COSTA store quietly closes," which quickly attracted attention and discussion from many people.

According to the poster, the store that closed this time was the Costa Jiangbei Xinjie store. From the exposed images, the store has been locked up, the internal equipment has been cleared and removed, and after the removal of the once-iconic British red sign, only mottled marks remain.

The poster recalled that Costa entered the Ningbo market in 2010, and at its peak there were 8 stores in the local area. However, starting in 2020, these stores shut down one after another. The poster said that with the closure of the last regular store, the Jiangbei Xinjie store, Costa now has only one hospital store and one transportation hub store left in Ningbo. In the comments section, someone with knowledge added that the Costa Yinzhou People's Hospital store may also close at the end of the month due to the expiration of its service contract.

Watching this British coffee chain brand, which has operated in Ningbo for 16 years, gradually exit from their surroundings, many longtime customers were filled with emotion, and memories of the past were rekindled. Some commented, "When I was still in school, I saved up a week's pocket money before I could bear to go to the one at Yuehu Shengyuan and order a double-eared dine-in cup"; others sighed, "It's really a pity that theirs closed. My workplace is right nearby, and I often ordered a cup with colleagues after lunch. Now it's gone."

At the same time, some users who follow updates on social platforms noticed that the number of Costa stores closing nationwide seems to be increasing. In addition to the Ningbo store mentioned by the poster, the Shanghai Fenyang Road store, Hangzhou Hefang Street store, and Tianjin Eco-City Aegean Sea store have also successively ceased operations in recent months.

In addition, data from Jihai Brand Monitoring shows that in the past 90 days, Costa opened 5 new stores, but also closed 23 old ones, and the number of stores still in operation is about 300. Although these data may differ from the actual situation, the reality reflected behind the numbers is that Costa, which once had the strength to compete with Starbucks, is no longer as glorious as before. Instead, it has fallen into the awkward position of gradually being forgotten and fading out of the city.

In the eyes of many regulars, Costa's coffee output is not inferior, and some products are even better than those of its peers. Many people became fans after just one try and have since become loyal customers of a certain store for years. In addition, some consumers also pointed out that the "third space" Costa creates for customers is comfortable and cozy, which is also one of the reasons that attract longtime users to visit from time to time.

Unfortunately, perhaps the brand's marketing strategy failed to adapt to the current consumer market, or perhaps competitors keep emerging and the coffee track has become increasingly crowded. In recent years, Costa stores are no longer fully seated, and the stores are often deserted, making it difficult for revenue to cover operating costs such as rent, utilities, and labor, and ultimately leaving them with no choice but to close after the lease expires.

For Costa's longtime users, they understand in their hearts that "all good things must come to an end," and no matter how long a store lasts, there will be a day when it closes. But when that day quietly arrives, looking at the empty coffee shop, they still feel sad because of this silent farewell, lamenting that "their memories have just disappeared like this."

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.