A popular coffee chain that has 2,000 branches has decided to shut a store in another blow to the high street. Costa Coffee on Whitstable's High Street in Kent shut its doors permanently on June 29.

The closure of yet another town centre branch has been labelled a "sign of the times", reflecting the mounting financial pressures businesses are currently facing. Customers will now need to visit the drive-thru café located near the Chesterfield roundabout instead. Costa Coffee's arrival on Whitstable High Street five years ago was met with a degree of unease among locals.

The coffee chain has shuttered several of its stores across the UK this year. In April, the Broxbourne branch was closed, a move that left local residents disappointed, reports The Sun

Around the same time, the Lyme Regis café also announced its closure, marking the end of an era after more than ten years of serving flat whites, cappuccinos, and caramel lattes to both locals and visitors.

The Whitstable branch received an average rating of three stars on Tripadvisor, with some customers criticising reduced opening hours and describing the café as 'dingy'. However, others spoke positively about the quality of the coffee and friendly service.

The premises are now listed by Caxtons, with an annual rental price of £35,000.

The boss of Kent's biggest independent coffee shop chain, HatHats, which has a store in Whitstable Harbour, told KentOnline that it's a "sign of the times".

Louis Hurst said: "I think the fact that a name as big as Costa is closing branches shows the increasing cost pressures so many businesses in our sector and beyond are facing.

"Increases to National Insurance contributions, and in our case the number of staff who now qualify for employers' National Insurance, has seen a huge hike in our employment costs - and that's before we talk about increases in rent, utilities and the goods we buy."

"The world coffee price for green beans, for example, has also risen by over 90 per cent in a year."