One of the original Bewley's cafes in Dublin will cease to operate as a Bewley's cafe from Tuesday.
The Campbell Bewley group does not own the George's Street site but it has been run as a franchise operation using the Bewley name. The George's street cafe is one of the three original landmark Bewley sites along with Westmoreland Street and Grafton Street.
The group's chief executive officer, Mr Dan Cronin, confirmed last night that the cafe in George's street will no longer carry the Bewley's name. A spokesman for the group stressed that the cafes division was a very important part of the company's operations and the group was investing in its cafes rather than disinvesting. In the past 12 months the group had spent £7 million on its cafes, he said.
When the company announced its results at the end of April it said it would be reviewing its cafe operations. The cafe division comprises 20 cafes and franchises in Ireland, 10 in Britain and 13 in the US. In Ireland, difficulties in recruiting staff, rising wages and local authority rates have been putting pressure on profits.