Merrie England cafe chain shuts after 60 years

A West Yorkshire cafe chain that has been in business for 60 years has announced it has closed its doors.

Merrie England, which has branches in Huddersfield, Halifax and Brighouse, said the closure was due to a combination of rising costs, falling footfall and reduced customer spending.

Founded in 1966, the company said it had been an "incredibly difficult decision" and that "we are truly grateful to have been part of the community for so long".

In a separate post on its Facebook page, Merrie England said its "thoughts are especially with the teams across our seven shops who have lost their jobs".

In a statement, the company said the decision to close had been reached "after facing a sustained increase in the cost of goods, business rates, energy costs, and the wider rising costs associated with staffing and government policy".

It added: "Alongside these pressures, we have also seen a reduction in footfall and customer spending, with many people understandably unable or unwilling to pay the prices that businesses now need to charge in order to survive.

"After 60 years of serving our customers, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us over the decades.

"Your loyalty, kindness and custom have meant so much to us, and we are truly grateful to have been part of the community for so long."

Merrie England built a loyal following with its old-fashioned atmosphere and traditional favourites, including hot beef sandwiches, toasted teacakes, egg custard and apple pie.

The coffee shop became a well-known part of the town's identity, inspiring poet laureate Simon Armitage to write about its staff in a poem.

Geraldine Mckerracher, 69, said she was "very sad" about the closures and had been going to the coffee shop in the Packhouse Centre for years.

She said: "We used to get sandwiches and take them over to my brother when we went to Filey.

"Over the years we've had lots of different meetings with friends here."

Another regular Anne Asquith said she was "very surprised" by the news.

The 80-year-old added: "There aren't enough little cafes so I'll miss it.

"We usually go for the sweet stuff but I've had a bacon sandwich before."

Reacting to the news on the company's Facebook page, hundreds of people shared their memories of the cafes over the years.

One person posted: "It was my mum's favourite cafe to have a bacon sandwich when she was in town - or coffee and a rum truffle or scone, such a lot of memories over the years it's going to be so missed by many."

Another said: "This is really sad news and the end of an era.

"It was the go-to place for milky coffee, bacon sandwich and beef sandwiches… I have lots of fond memories."

Another regular reflected: "Sad news - took my wife on her first date to the drive through at Lindley when it first opened.

"Packed ham and cress butties. Turkey club and hot toasted beef yum yum. Never beaten on quality."

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