There are numerous places around Guildford that people are able to head to in order to meet up, get a drink or simply enjoy some time to themselves. The Black Sheep Coffee Shop is just one example, having opened its doors for the first time in the November of 2022.
In the years that followed, it earned a degree of popularity within the town, but it closed its doors in the July of this year and has remained closed ever since. Now there have been documents put up in the windows that confirm that the lease has been terminated, which all but confirms its permanent closure.
Black Sheep Coffee
Whilst some people might have seen other members of the Black Sheep Coffee company whilst visiting different towns and cities around the United Kingdom, it isn’t outrageous for those that have not to be working under the assumption that it was a solo enterprise. After all, it is not as if the company behind it has the same kind of ubiquity as Starbucks, Costa or Nero’s. In reality, though, the chain has been in existence since Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth, who had been living in the same flat at the University of St Andrews, created it in 2013 before launching a Kickstarter a year later.
That raised £23,000, with more money raised in the years that followed to the point that by the June of 2019, around £19 million had been raised. In 2021, investment was secured from Kristaps Porziņģis, the basketball player, to allow the company to expand into the United States of America. The British government became a shareholder a year later when Black Sheep Coffee was backed by the Future Fund. By the March of 2023, there were more than 50 Black Sheep Coffee locations in the United Kingdom, with others opening in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the US.
The Guildford Venue
Black Sheep Coffee has venues in the likes of Chester, Bristol, Belfast and Edinburgh, so there was a definite sense of excitement when it was revealed that the company was opening a coffee shop in Guildford. There was also a sense of pride, considering the fact that it was the first such venue to open in all of Surrey, seeing visitors to North Street in the town given the opportunity to taste its wares from the second of November 2022. The original plan had been for it to open at the site where Burger King had stood previously in the October, but it was pushed back by a few weeks.
Some Guildford residents took to the Black Sheep Coffee offerings immediately, enjoying the interior as well as the friendly nature of the staff. It opened seven days a week, from 6.30am until 8pm, apart from on Sunday when it opened at 7.30am and closed at 6.30pm. One of the only issues in the eyes of some was the fact that there was already an overabundance of coffee shops in the town, resulting in a number of people heading to the Facebook group ‘Guildford Past & Present’ to moan about the fact that another one was opening its doors in Guildford.
Closing Doors
Although many of the users of the Guildford Past & Present Facebook group were quick to point out that the town has countless different coffee shops, some users did point to the fact that virtually all of them had a queue if you visited them on a busy Saturday. That suggested that there was indeed room for another one in terms of what people wanted to spend their money on, with some taking to the group to announce that it was a ‘real shame’ that it had closed its doors for the first time in July. The prolonged closure had been noticed by the following month, with no suggestion of why it has happened.
Even now, we aren’t really any the wiser. The company itself seems to be doing well elsewhere in the country, so it isn’t even as if there are any overall issues with other venues operated by Black Sheep Coffee in different locations. Instead, it seems to be just the Guildford branch that has shut down, with no explanation of why it has done so. There is obviously the possibility that the competition for custom in the town is such that the owners have decided that their efforts are better placed elsewhere, or it could be that the franchise owner has simply decided to walk away.
Notice in the Window
What we do know is that some documents have been put up in the window of the establishment, outlining the next steps for the building. A ‘Notice of Re-Entry’ had been placed in the windows, which is a legal document that landlords put up in the aftermath of the forfeiture of a lease. The letter itself says, “The lease has been terminated and the premises have been re-entered and secured.” The head-leaseholder is listed as Black Sheep Coffee Shops Ltd, with the company being called upon to collect goods that had been left on the premises in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, a Google search of coffee shops in Guildford says that the Black Sheep coffee venue is ‘permanently closed’, which is a clear indication that it won’t be coming back. Although there was a sense of delight from some Guildford residents at that news, there was also a suggestion from others that both their coffee and the food that they offered would be missed. Others, though, pointed to both the ‘overpriced’ nature of the items on offer and the fact that there are plenty of alternatives to turn to as a sign that those that live in and around the town are likely to cope.