Former employees of popular Leamington coffee shop say closure 'is not for refurbishment'

Last week, The Courier and Weekly News was told by a spokesman for coffee chain Esquires Coffee that its branch at 52-54 Warwick Street in Leamington town centre has closed temporarily for refurbishment.

The company said: “This store is currently undergoing refurbishment and will be closed for a short period.

"We won’t be able to give an exact opening date at this point but it will reopen in the coming weeks.”

But, since then, former employees of the branch have been in touch.

One of them, who has asked to remain anonymous, said: “On June 16 all the staff of Esquires in Leamington were made redundant with immediate effect and no pay.

"We are still waiting for the information needed so we claim for any lost wages, holiday, redundancy pay and late notice.”

The employee said the business was supposed to be sold to a new franchisee but this is yet to have happened.

Currently, a handwritten sign on the door simply says ‘we are closed’.

The branch opened in December 2020 with Esquires Coffee having signed a ten-year lease on the shop space.

The company was founded in Canada in 1993 and now has more than 60 locations across the UK and Ireland.

Having spoken to the former employees, The Courier and Weekly News have again asked the company for a comment.