Bailiffs move on Birmingham Yorks café as owner says 'I know it doesn't look good'

Bailiffs have taken control of a popular city centre café that closed for a refurbishment. Yorks in Stephenson Street shut in early October with bosses assuring the move was only temporary to allow them to 'make the location even better'.

The venue, which opened back in 2015, was set to reopen before Christmas, however a month after closing, renovation work had yet to start on the site. Yorks also has a branch at the Ikon Gallery in Brindleyplace and recently opened a new spot on the Paradise development in Chamberlain Square.

A forfeiture notice posted by enforcement agents in the window of the corner unit in Stephenson Street confirmed 'the locks of the property have now been changed'. The sign, featuring a Parkinson Bailiff Services Limited letterhead and dated November 15, declared that authorised agents acting on behalf of the landlord had re-entered the premises.

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However, Yorks owner Simon Ford said he remains optimistic that the café will be able to reopen. He said: "I know it doesn't look very good. We have been engaging with the landlord for a few months now as our lease naturally comes to an end relatively soon.

"We need to spend quite a bit of money on the site as it hasn't had a proper makeover since we opened, but for us to reinvest, we needed more security from the new lease before throwing money at it. We're still completely committed to Stephenson Street and it's very clear from my meeting with the landlord yesterday that we have two willing parties who want the place to reopen as soon as possible."

The owner said that negotiations with the landlord were still ongoing, but hopes to be able to open the café by New Street Station by February next year. "I'm an eternal optimist," he said. "We were hoping to reach an agreement quicker than we have been able to, but we have had to focus on the launch of Paradise.

"We have had operational challenges at Paradise like internet issues, which have had a knock-on impact on customer experience, so it's been a challenging first few weeks of trade, but we're making good progress. With Stephenson Street, I know a scary notice on the door doesn't portray a very positive message, but I'm fairly confident we can reach an agreement that's a win win."