Greengages, the Journal's Cafe of the Year 2021, has closed permanently "due to a number of factors".

Two weeks ago, director Richard Coleman announced the cafe's temporary closure, but he has made the decision to close the business down.

Read more: Greengages Cafe in Salisbury closed "until further notice"

The cafe, located at 31 Catherine Street in Salisbury, sits at number one on TripAdvisor for coffee & tea and was in business for 11 years, becoming a staple independent in Salisbury during that time.

Richard told Facebook users on Friday, 26 August, that Greengages had entered administration.

In his final statement, he mentions the need for Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council to "open their eyes and make extreme changes" otherwise "Salisbury will degrade to nothing".

The cost of living crisis has also played a role in the closure. Richard says, despite the business surviving Covid and Novichok, "escalating" costs due to the invasion of Ukraine has caused people to cut their spending.

Read Richard Coleman's full closing statement

"Further to the announcement last week that Greengages would be closed temporarily, I can confirm that it will not be reopening.

"Due to a number of factors, I have made the decision to close down the business.

"The past few years have been difficult for many businesses. 2018, Salisbury suffered heavily from the Novichok attacks. This almost entirely deterred visitors from visiting and locals alike which impacted heavily the economic state.

"As businesses were beginning to show increased trade, 2020 brought us Covid-19. This sounded the death knell for many but with considerable personal investment, changes to business strategy and working practices, Greengages pulled through and once again was thriving. There were of course additional costs such as Covid loan and we made changes to our seating plan to accommodate better spacing which meant less capacity. In spite of all this, we continued to maintain our high standards of service and were the winners of 2021 Café of the year award.

"However, 2022 signified a turning point. The invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia initiated the biggest price increases in modern history. Fuel costs escalating which increased delivery costs and impacted supply chains, gas and electricity surging and people everywhere having to cut back on their spending.

"There is also one other significant factor. Wiltshire county Council and Salisbury City Council need to open their eyes and make extreme changes. If these do not happen, Salisbury will degrade to nothing. Parking is extortionate, other than the Cathedral, there are scant other tourist attractions, the infrastructure cannot maintain the traffic levels and the park & ride is non effective as the road network is not capable of including bus lanes. In time, more and more businesses will fail if Salisbury doesn’t change and adapt to the times we live in.

"My hope is that in time, Salisbury will again return to thriving hub of the county we all love and miss.

"I would like to finally say thank you to all my staff and colleagues who have, over the past 11 years made it the friendly, sociable, welcoming establishment it was known for.

"My thanks to everyone who has sent kind messages of support and gratitude, I will miss you all greatly."

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