A POPULAR coffee shop has suddenly closed and left loyal customers confused.
Chai Ra had been on the Kings Heath high street in Birmingham since 2019 and had sold specialty coffee, tea, brunch and cake.
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Its owners said on social media last month that cafe would be closing for a few days to “deal with some electrical issues due to a leak”.
The site then closed again at the start of March, with a mysterious sign on the window reading: “Sorry we are shut due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll be back soon!”
Now the business’ status on Google has been changed to “permanently closed”.
Another notice has been posted in the window suggesting the cafe‘s lease has been forfeited.
Customers appeared sorely disappointed and a little confused by the closure.
One wrote on social media: “Hope everything is okay! We miss you.”
Another said: “I’m so sorry you’ve had to close in KH. I’m sure there are reasons we don’t need to know but I hope you make it back in another location nearby soon. We miss you.”
A third said: “Looks like this fab place is now sadly closed, notice on the front door apparently.
“This was our go-to place for coffee and cake on a weekend.”
The independent cafe had earned glowing reviews for its delicious coffee, relaxed atmosphere and friendly service.
Which other cafes have closed recently?
Chai Ra is the latest cafe to close as UK retailers and restaurants face difficult times.
The iconic Big Bill’s Cafe in Worcester closed on Saturday, with its owners blaming increased rents and bills.
It had been run by proud owners Martin, 83, and Sheila, 75, for six years.
Jeanie’s cafe in Liscard, Merseyside, also shut down earlier this month after serving customers for more than three decades.
A sign posted outside the cafe read: “Closing down. Thank you to all our loyal customers for your love and support over the last 34 years.”
Shops have also been struggling to keep afloat due to increased costs and lower footfall.
The equivalent of about 37 shops a day shut in 2024, according to analysis by the Centre for Retail Research.
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”