STARBUCKS has officially confirmed the closure of its popular Darlington branch.

As reported on Tuesday, customers at the Northgate coffee shop had been informed that the store would soon be closing.

A staff member working at the branch told The Northern Echo that around 15 workers would be affected by the closure.

An official spokeswoman for Starbucks has now confirmed the impending closure of the busy branch.

She said: “After ten years serving the community in Darlington we have made the difficult decision to close the store this September 10.

“We would like to thank our customers and the local community for their custom over the years.”

The news of Starbucks’ closure was met with disappointment from Northern Echo readers, with a number of people lamenting the recent withdrawal of several major retailers from central Darlington.

McDonalds, TK Maxx and Argos are among the stores to have announced the closure of their town centre branches in recent years.