Shock as popular north-east cafe Formartine's closes for good
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Locals have expressed their surprise and shock after a popular north-east cafe and shop announced it would not be reopening.
In a statement posted on social media, Formartine's which is located near Tarves and Haddo House said: "It is with a heavy heart that I write this post to tell you all the sad news that we will not be re-opening and will remain permanently closed.
"We are forever grateful to all of you who loved what we did and supported us for the last nine years, some of you almost weekly, since our doors opened.
"We will miss you and forever appreciate your contribution to making Formartines what it was.
"All of you – the team, our customers, our suppliers, and the local community – each and every one of you."
It explained: "We have fought day and night to find solutions to a growing wave of economic challenges over the last few years, with the oil downturn, shifts in retail, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We lost sales revenue of over £1 million in 2020 alone, and in a further twist to the tale our building was badly damaged by flooding in late February, preventing our operations from re-starting.
"Our business model always required a large volume of customers with relatively low profit margins, and with the current Covid-19 restrictions it is not economically viable for us to continue and service our debts with the cash-flow impacts from the pandemic and with limited prospects for normal trade returning in the near future.
"Good luck and stay safe everyone.
"We hope to see you all soon, somewhere."
