Just two weeks into the new year ten businesses have announced their closures.
Some big business chains, such as Cineworld, Slug & Lettuce and Brewdog, have announced closures of some Yorkshire city stores.
But also, some smaller and independent businesses, such as Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria, The Shed Bar and The Old Red Bus Station, have announced their closures, with many citing financial issues.
The Staveley Arms had reopened in October 2023 following a seven-month period of closure, but in the last week has announced its closure as they said they were facing “major business impacts” from the Budget.
In a statement they wrote: “With further major business impacts imminent from the recent Budget in the form of increased employment costs and national insurance, before even allowing for the inevitable price rises on supplies as all businesses try to combat these factors, we have concluded it is not possible to make the business sustainably viable and have made the very difficult decision to not continue.”
1. Two Brothers Grill & Pizzeria
Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria in Castle Courtyard, Knaresborough, will close on Sunday January 12 despite the “best efforts” of the owners and staff. In a social media post, owner Vivien said they were “completely heart broken” to share the news. They said: “With heavy heart, with reason out of our control we announce the closing of Two Brothers Grill and Pizzeria. This has been a very difficult and emotional decision and we are so sad to say goodbye, after nearly 7 years, we will close our doors on Sunday 12th of January. "Despite our best efforts and lots of financial investments we have failed to overcome the challenges caused by the expenses of running a restaurant nowadays.” Photo: Archive
2. Cineworld
One of the UK’s biggest cinema chains has announced plans to close one of its flagship city centre multiplexes, alongside several others across the country. The company said that the "disappointing” closure is part of a nationwide restructuring of its UK operations. It also expressed gratitude to customers for their support over the years. The full list of upcoming Cineworld closures is as follows: Castleford (19 January), Leigh (19 January), Middlesbrough (19 January), Northampton (19 January), Poole (19 January) and Nottingham (February 2). Last year, Cineworld shut sites in Glasgow Parkhead, Bedford, Loughborough, Weymouth, Yate and Swindon Regent Circus as part of its restructuring programme. Cineworld has been facing significant challenges in recent years due to a combination of factors, including the financial strain of the Covid-19 pandemic, and competition from streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. Photo: Richard T/Google
3. The Staveley Arms
In a statement issued on its Facebook page, the Staveley Arms, in North Stainley near Ripon, said the decision to close had been made with great disappointment and sadness. The Staveley Arms had reopened in October 2023 following a seven-month period of closure under proprietors Steve Mortimer, Fay Howell and Oliver Renton. The statement added: “Despite our best efforts and major financial investment we have been unsuccessful in overcoming the challenges in the current environment to create a business capable of delivering the experience we want for customers balanced with a sustainable financial position." Photo: Contributed
4. The Old Red Bus Station
The Old Red Bus Station on Vicar Lane in Leeds city centre announced it is closing next weekend. The post on social media said: "Like many small venues across the country we have faced the unassailable task of fighting the cost of living crisis." The venue opened a decade ago and has since played host to the likes of Goldie and produced homegrown talent including Leeds-based Yestek. The Old Red Bus Station said no one was convinced "their original idea of curating weekly drum & bass and jungle nights in the city, alongside serving vegan ethical food, would work." The Old Red Bus Station defied the odds and became an iconic breeding grown for grassroots talent. Photo: Simon Hulme