North Derbyshire cafe boss 'absolutely devastated' after tough decision to shut business amid crippling energy and food price rises

Carl Dunne will close the door at Cafe Civic in Dronfield for the last time on July 22. The 50-year-old businessman said: “I feel absolutely devastated because I'm not one to admit defeat. I've put so much time, energy and my own personal money into it.

“I’ve been putting in between four or five thousand pounds a month just to pay the bills. I’m about to write off in excess of £45,000 since it opened. In April the government stopped all business help with any form of utility bills. My electric bill has gone from £800 a month to £1,500 – it’s a massive jump.

"Since March when we all realised that the economy is on its backside and we were undergoing a credit crunch, we've seen less and less customers. Our loyal customers are loyal but we rely on getting new customers and we’re not getting enough of them. We’ve seen a 60% decrease in footfall.”

"I blame Brexit for the reason why the cost of ingredients has gone up so much. The cost is literally rising every week. We've had to put our prices up about three times this year. If I put them up any more in line with what I'm paying, we're going to price ourself out of the market and no-one is going to come.”

Carl broke the news about the closure of his cafe in Dronfield Civic Centre to his six employees this week. He said: “They are upset because they are being put out of work but they understand it from a business point of view.”

The cafe opened every day of the week until a fortnight ago. Carl said said: “I took the decision to close on Sundays because the wage bill on a Sunday was more than the takings, which were drastically low."

He said that he would miss the cafe which prides itself on its home-cooked food. “I’ve always enjoyed cooking,” said Carl. “I love the customers that come in, just to hear the loudness of people chatting, laughing - it's a great environment. Sadly, utilities have killed it.

“It’s a sad state of affairs when you thrive on taking pride in your work, taking on empty units that are no longer empty and rejuvenating the immediate area.”

Carl, who lives in Hunters Bar, Sheffield opened Cafe Civic on August 3, 2022, just a few doors down from two of his other businesses, The Corner Shop newsagent which he opened in 2021 and Cards & Gifts Dronfield which he launched in 2020. He said: “The other two businesses are holding their heads up high and turning a profit.

"A couple of months ago the Dronfield Civic Society gave us an award for rejuvenating the immediate area and taking on three empty shops over the course of the past three years.

“It’s a lovely little area, I liked the look of it and it felt right. I was sure I could make it work – it did pay off and it does work, but sadly not in the cafe industry.”