CUSTOMERS have launched a petition to save Aberystwyth’s last Costa Coffee following the confirmation it is to close in August.

A petition has been launched by customers at the Costa Coffee situated within the Next store on Parc y Llyn Retail Park, calling for it to stay open after learning that the café will close in the next three months.

Within a couple of days the petition gained almost 200 signatures.

One member of staff was ‘shocked’ to see the support they had received, and could only ask ‘how’ they got so many signatures. The staff member said: “They’ve already run out of pages for it.”

Nicola Richards is one of these customers who comes to the coffee shop many times a week as part of her ‘daily social activity.’

Ms Richards said: “The staff here go above and beyond, they sit down with customers, cater to our needs and really give that personal touch.

“Every coffee here is made with love, it’s like you’re sitting in an independent cafe.

“The staff know every regular customer’s choice of drink, and they take pride in their work.

“I wouldn’t go into town for a coffee, this shop is accessible with plenty of parking, and there is a real community feeling here.

“The only other place to get a coffee in this retail park is Mcdonald’s, that wouldn’t be the same experience.”

A member of staff said: “If the store closes I will be heartbroken, for the customers especially.

“Where will they all go? They tell me they don’t want to go elsewhere.

“We understand that times are tough with the recession and inflation affecting more places than just our shop, but it still hurts to think about it closing.

“It’s going to hit me like a truck, I don’t think I’ve fully processed it yet but I will afterwards, when I think about the members of staff and the customers, I’ll miss them.

“Shops like ours are the heart of the company, you can get a coffee at drive throughs and other shops, but people don’t come here just for the coffee, they come here for the experience - for the little community that’s formed in this shop.

“There’s a real bond between us and our customers.”

A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: We can confirm that the Costa Coffee store within the Next Department store in the Parc y llyn Retail Park, Llanbadarn Fawr will close its doors in early August.

“We’re sorry for the disappointment this may cause for our customers in the local community.”

The company added: “We are currently in close conversation with our team members at the store and supporting them ahead of the planned closure.”­