A popular bakery on Durham's high street is to close in the coming months. 

Cooplands, located on North Road, is to shut at the end of the year as they have come to the end of their lease.  

However, a spokesperson for the business confirmed that none of their staff would lose their jobs, as they are being redeployed into the business, and a new location elsewhere in the city is being scouted out. 

Durham's North Road has seen a number of closures, with one well-liked cafe, beanSOCIAL, only surviving following a crowdfunding campaign to 'Save the Bean'. 

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James Gardener, the owner of beanSOCIAL, attributed the street's financial troubles to the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis, as well as the bus station revamp, which has seen completion delayed by at least a year. 

Other businesses in the area have been left reeling by the northern bakery chain's announcement that they are to close their Durham location. 

Sandra Robinson, the owner of Robinson's Greengrocers, located next to Cooplands, said that she was "concerned" to see chains lose faith in North Road. 

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She said: "Businesses feed off of each other, and it is worrying that even they couldn't make it work, and they might not see trade returning to the street."

Sandra believes that one business closing can trigger a chain reaction among retailers. She explained: "Visitors don't want to visit boarded-up streets."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Cooplands said: "We are looking for alternative locations. All our colleagues employed there have been redeployed in the business. We also have a new shop opening opposite our bakery on Damson Way in the New Year."

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