In a blow for local high streets all four Out of Office coffee houses across the new city have closed.
The business had stores in Stony Stratford, Newport Pagnell, Olney and Central Milton Keynes, but all were closed with immediate effect last week, which came as a surprise to staff and customers alike.
“In a nutshell, post-Covid hospitality has been difficult,” founder Steven Dick told MKFM, “The rise in electricity bills, the cost of living crisis, changing interest rates and new Government budgets have all had an impact, and of course our suppliers have had to put up their prices too, which further impacted us,” he said.
Twenty-two members of staff lost their jobs with the store closures.
“I am extremely grateful to all of them for their hard work and the effort they've shown. Some of them have been with me for seven years,” he said, “If I could have given them six months notice I would have.
“I have had an emotional rollercoaster, and it's hard – it is a brand and a business that has been built over a number of years with a lot of community interaction.
“I'd like to thank our customers for being so loyal and supporting the business throughout.”
In a Facebook post, Steven said: “Please keep supporting all the other wonderful independent businesses in and around Milton Keynes, it really does make a difference to the businesses and the communities."
Steven is appealing for anyone who might have a vacancy for any of the 'awesome team members' from Out of Office to contact him at hello@outofofficecoffee.co.uk
