Mystery surrounds future of Starbucks cafe in Northampton after roof 'caved in' from torrential rain eight months ago

It has been eight months since Starbucks in Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe, was affected by the heavy rainfall in late September, which saw its roof ‘cave in’.

Firefighters were called to the scene and had to evacuate staff and the public from the store.

In the immediate aftermath, a spokesman for Starbucks said the branch was expected to be closed for “several weeks” for “necessary repairs”.

The spokesman said: “The safety of our partners and customers remains our top priority. We anticipate being closed for several weeks to complete the necessary repairs and in the meantime, our customers can find their nearest Starbucks store at Kettering Road, Northampton. We look forward to welcoming our local community back to the Harborough Road, Northampton store soon.”

Since then, the Kingsthorpe site has not reopened and there has been no word on when it might.

However, in the last month, scaffolding has gone up around the store, and it appears workers are now on site repairing the roof.

Chronicle & Echo has contacted Starbucks for comment, but the company has not yet responded.

Unconfirmed social media reports suggest the site will reopen once the roof has been fixed, but it is not known how long that will take.

In the meantime, there are many independent coffee spots along Harborough Road and in the wider Kingsthorpe area.

Starbucks opened at the former Carphone Warehouse spot in 2022 after being given the green light in 2021.