Edinburgh Princes Street coffee shop A Pinch of Salt forced to close for good with 'immediate effect'

The owner said the coffee venue had to stop trading two weeks earlier than planned.

A quirky Edinburgh coffee shop has been forced to close with immediate effect after its last day of trading was brought forward.

A Pinch of Salt which serves up coffees and cakes from converted old police boxes around Edinburgh was forced to shut its Princes Street branch for good, weeks earlier than planned.

The independent business announced earlier in December that it was forced to cease trading due to locals and tourists "opting to support nearby chains" and Christmas market kiosks. They claimed that a promise from their landlord to bring daily tour groups to the kiosk “was never honoured”.

A Pinch of Salt brought forward closing date suddenly

The cafe planned to serve the last customers on December 23, having opened in the summer with high expectations. But their final day of trading was instead Sunday, December 10.

Following its opening in August, the venue has lost cash almost every day. The owner had made a plea to customers for support in their final weeks, saying they hoped to claw back "some of the funds" but a later update revealed that it would be forced to close earlier than planned.

In a post on social media, owners said: "Sunday 10 December is your last ever chance to visit ‘A Pinch of Salt’ on Princes Street. Unfortunately, it has continued to make less than it costs me to keep it open – therefore I must cease trading with immediate effect. Please support the box tomorrow and send it off with a bang.”

A Pinch of Salt, which is run by the owners of the award-winning Salt Cafe, also sell coffee and cakes from converted police boxes in Tollcross and Morningside.