COFFEE lovers are saying goodbye to yet another branch while still reeling from a string of closures.
Costa Coffee, which boasts more than 2,000 sites, is shutting another one of its cafes in just seven days' time.
The high street favourite has closed seven stores in recent months.
But one of these is only temporary for renovation, and another branch is being relocated.
Those searching for a caffeine fix in the town of Oakham in the East Midlands will now have to venture elsewhere.
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Costa Coffee's Church Street branch will pull down its shutters for one final time on September 15.
The site will remain open until then and is operating as normal.
It joins a long list of shops and businesses in the area that have been forced to close over the last year.
Locals have also lost the Rutland Refill - made up of a deli, coffee shop and grocery store - as well as their Wilko store in recent weeks.
But there is still hope for Costa Coffee fans in Oakham, as they can continue to grab their favourite drink at the firm's nearby drive-thru.
It is a less than 10-minute drive from the Church Street branch to the grab-and-go station at Lands' End Way which opened last year.
Luckily, Costa staff are set to be transferred to the drive-thru, meaning they won't lose their jobs.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the news of the latest closure to The Sun.
They said: "We can confirm that the Costa Coffee store on Church Street in Oakham will close for trade on the 15th of September 2022.
"All team members will be redeployed to our nearby Drive Thru store on Lands End Way, Oakham, who look forward to continuing to serve the local community with their favourite handcrafted drinks."
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It comes as the coffee chain announced that its cafe in West Bridgford, near Nottingham, is also on the chopping block.
The popular branch will be closing on September 22.
Costa Coffee has closed the doors for a final time at four more of its shops over the past few months.
Another shop in the Coliseum retail park in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, closed on June 3.
Two days later, its site in Welch Way, Witney, pulled the shutters down, with customers being directed to other nearby stores.
The chain also shut up shop at its Wigan town centre branch on June 25 this year.
Last month on July 9, Costa's branch in the Five Rise shopping centre in Bingley also shut, with coffee lovers being directed to the nearby Keighley cafe.
Another cafe in Lowestoft's North Quay retail park in Suffolk closed its doors on July 23 but not for good.
The chain is treating the shop to a whole new interior while also adding a drive-thru lane.
It will then reopen later this year, with all staff being redeployed at close-by sites until then.
Another Costa in Worcester is also moving a few doors down this autumn - although no exact date has been specified.
Food and drink chains in general have been suffering in recent months as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
The hospitality sector as a whole has been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Several chains have also been affected, resulting in brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.
In January, Byron Burger fell into administration with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Italian dining chain Prezzo revealed plans to shut 46 restaurants back in April as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.
Although some chains have managed to persevere, like Greggs which plans to open 150 new sites by the end of the year.
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