An independent coffee chain has announced that it will soon be shuttering its newest location at Bath Spa station, which opened just a few months ago, after engineering works and rail strike action "haemorrhaged any profit" from the site. Can't Dance Coffee, a Bristol-based independent with locations in Victoria Square, Clifton and Weston-super-Mare, posted on Instagram that despite working tirelessly on the project, the combined costs of rent, business rates, utilities, staffing costs, and stock were impacting the business and that "in these super precarious times, it was not a sustainable model to continue".
Founded by Lucy Grantham after she lost her job in arts events in 2020 and relocated from London back to her hometown Bristol, Can't Dance Coffee first launched as a mobile coffee trike, which quickly became popular as Bristolians looked for safe and socially distanced ways to socialise during lockdowns. Now housed in a shipping container on a formerly redundant paved area on the outskirts of Clifton Village, the company serves seven days a week with mobile units around the city and a second site at Weston-super-Mare.
In a post on Instagram, Can't Dance Coffee said that the obstacles facing the new Bath location meant that its other sites were suffering, and as a result, it had decided to "draw the line before the previous two-plus years of hard work were dragged down". The Bath kiosk's final day will be February 17.
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Before being taken over by Can't Dance Coffee at the end of last year, the premises at Bath Spa was a concession for another Bristol-based business, The Jolly Hog. The company's 'On the Trot' kiosk first opened on March 12, 2020 and served coffee and bacon sandwiches to hungry commuters.
In a post on LinkedIn at the end of last year, The Jolly Hog's co-founder Max Kohn Max wrote: "Covid changed the dial for all train stations as travellers dropped off the face of the earth overnight. Since then, the working week for many people has completely changed, with commuting to work reducing dramatically. The demand for someone to buy an incredible black treacle bacon bap with a flat white had, therefore, also reduced dramatically."
The Jolly Hog was responsible for the conversion of the unit, gaining permission to transform an unused old boot room at the station into a welcoming kiosk. Max wrote that the company battled through a year of red tape, planning battles and delays before eventually getting the go-ahead, only for the business to spend its first 18 months opening and closing with each lockdown.
The full post from Can't Dance Coffee said: "We have tried our hardest to make our newest site at Bath Spa train station work. Unfortunately, we have been hit by some major obstacles over the past two months.
"Endless engineering works coupled with multiple week-long strikes have haemorrhaged any profit that we could have made from this site. Thank you to the amazing team - Julie, Jack, Halle, Oscar and Ben - who have worked tirelessly with me to try and make this work.
"Once you minus the rent, business rates, utilities, staffing costs, stock, etc., there is sadly no profit to be had. My other sites were suffering because of this, and in these super precarious times, it was not a sustainable model to continue.
"Hugest thanks to everyone who supported us at this suite. I’m trying not to see this as a failure but to learn that some things are out of our control; I had to draw the line before the previous two-plus years of hard work were dragged down too. I’m also not afraid to say it had a huge impact on my mental health and well-being; the pressure was too much trying to control these external factors. I wasn’t happy putting myself in that position.
"Our last day of trading will be Friday, 17 February. Big up, small biz. Remember to support us however you can."
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