A fashion and homeware shop in Bristol city centre looks set to close and could make way for a new Starbucks coffee shop. UK brand Vinegar Hill has occupied the Queens Road store in Clifton for the past 15 years and is currently seeking another unit in Bristol.
When asked about the future of the store, a spokesperson for Vinegar Hill said: "Our landlords have terminated our lease and we have been actively looking to find a new location. We have not found a suitable shop unit as yet but will continue to search."
The family-run retailer first launched in Straford-Upon Avon in 1997 and sells a range of homeware, gifts, and clothing from both the UK and around the world. The spokesperson added that the rest of the business, including the other 11 stores and the website are unaffected.
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"We have been trading from our Bristol store for nearly 15 years now, we have a great team and very loyal customers and so we are very sad to be leaving," they said. The Clifton shop will close at the end of February and is hoping to open in another suitable unit in the city.
Cobra Coffee Ltd, which oversees the Starbucks UK franchise, has submitted plans to take over 46 Queens Road in Clifton in the location of the Vinegar Hill shop. A spokesperson for Southern Co-op said while they are always looking for new locations and opportunities to bring the Starbucks Experience to customers in the UK, they were unable to supply any updates about plans in Clifton.
The application on Bristol City Council's website states that the site has previously been part of a larger commercial unit merged with 44 Queens Road, but was split back in 2008. Previous to that the site had been a convenience store.
The plans were submitted in December last year in which Cobra Coffee intends to remodel the inside, subject to consent from the planning department, to provide indoor seating. It will serve food for consumption on and off the premises.
If plans are accepted, the Clifton branch would be the seventh Starbucks outlet in the Bristol area. Most recently, Bradley Stoke welcomed a new Starbucks coffee shop and drive-thru at the end of 2022 after months of delays. The new outlet situated in Willow Brook shopping centre created 17 jobs for the local community.
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