The business says it will focus on its other site in the Welsh capital
Bru in David Street, Cardiff
A coffee and dessert shop in Cardiff city centre has closed citing increased operating costs. In 2018, Bru opened in David Street, opposite the Cineworld cinema, then last year the chain launched its second branch in the city, in Queen Street.
A notice on the door of the David Street site states: “It’s been an absolute honour serving you here. This was a really tough decision, but with rising operating costs and reduced footfall in this area, we’ve decided to focus our energy on our flagship store.”
Bru – which has two shops in Leicester and one in Harrow – assured customers the Queen Street location offers the same “100% speciality Arabica coffee” and the same app points and rewards. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.
Franchisee Noman Qaiser initially opened the branch in David Street as a late-night coffee bar, open until 11pm on weekdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, but its hours were later shortened with closing time at 5pm or 6pm.
Known for ice cream and brunch options as well as coffee, the David Street cafe had an average rating of 4.5 stars after 633 Google reviews.
The one on Queen Street, which has the same rating after 273 reviews, is open from 8am until 9pm every day.
Last month Kate Nicholls, the chair of UK Hospitality, called on governments of the UK to take action on crippling hospitality bills by reducing VAT, business rates and employment costs.
She also pointed to the Iran conflict’s impact on energy prices, saying: “The reality remains that many operators are now paying much more than they were a month ago and this additional pressure continues to squeeze margins, threatening jobs and business viability.”
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