A BELOVED cafe has sadly closed its doors for good after more than three decades of service.
Jeanie’s, a staple of the Cherry Tree Shopping Centre in Liscard, Merseyside, has been serving customers for 34 years, earning a loyal following thanks to its delicious coleslaw, great service, and affordable prices.
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However, after a recent temporary closure due to staffing issues, it now appears the shutters are down permanently.
A spokesperson for the Cherry Centre previously reassured locals that the cafe had not closed for good, stating: “There’s no reopening date just yet, but they haven’t closed for good.
“We’ll share any updates as soon a we have them.”
But a sign posted outside Jeanie’s now confirms its fate.
It reads: “Closing down. Thank you to all our loyal customers for your love and support over the last 34 years.”
Heartbroken regulars have taken to social media to express their sadness over the closure.
One devastated customer wrote: “What a shame. I take my little boy there most Saturdays when we have our walk and lunch out.
“Food is great and staff so nice.
“I even said we don’t go anywhere else as food is awful and overpriced.
“Will miss this place.”
Confusion arose when Jeanie’s Facebook page initially reassured customers that the Market Hall location was still open, inviting patrons to enjoy a sit-down meal with table service.
However, subsequent comments from social media users suggest that the cafe has indeed shut down permanently, leaving many wondering what went wrong.
For now, regulars can only reminisce about their favourite meals and the warm, welcoming atmosphere that made Jeanie’s a community favourite.
As another commenter put it: “Jeanie’s was more than just a cafe– it was part of our routine, part of our weekends. It’s such a loss.”
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
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