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Edinburgh city centre coffee shop Cairngorm Coffee is set to relaunch after repeated closures.
With lockdowns, low footfall, and a staffing crisis, the venue has struggled and turnover was just £30,000 in 2020 and £55,000 in 2021, while online orders improved.
The brand has since expanded its wholesale business and opened in Bonnie and Wild at St James’ Quarter.
Founder Robi Lambie is hoping to restore Frederick Street back to its “former glory”.
He said: “We are doubling down on what made our “OG” location great back in the day – the experience – but this is a complete revamp. I don’t think it’s enough to just open a run of the mill specialty coffee shop anymore. So many people make great coffee so we have to do more to compete.
“While the roastery and Melville Street are flourishing, Frederick Street wasn’t best prepared for the pandemic and it has struggled to recover from it, so we’re going to be aggressive and relentlessly ambitious to make sure we’re ready for the cost-of-living crisis.”
He added: “We’ve renovated the space to return to the essence of what this shop was when it opened, which is all about community and bringing the very best coffee possible to our customers. I love the idea of customers getting to know each other around one big table as they learn about coffee. We want it to be as approachable and welcoming as possible.”
