'Things were tough' - businessman confirms closure of Limerick coffee chain
Firm owning outlets in voluntary liquidation
A LIMERICK city centre coffee shop has ceased trading.
Habit Coffee Shop, which has three branches in the city centre, did not open for business this Monday.
The firm also had a coffee truck operating in Shannon Town.
It's understood that in total, 22 jobs have been lost with staff told of the news on Sunday.
Barry Flavin, who owns the coffee shop firm, confirmed the news to Limerick Live.
"Things were tough, there was money owed to Revenue and everything came crashing down," he said.
"We tried to structure a deal, but when January and February came, with the minimum wage going up, and the VAT on the same week, the extra money we would have had was wiped out," the businessman added.
Mr Flavin also leased The Still House which he ran for the last year.
The landmark pub in Thomas Street is expected to be open and trading as normal in the coming days.
Habit began trading in Limerick city during the Covid-19 pandemic.