'Lovely' Giffnock restaurant suddenly closes after two years
A notice on the eatery's website reads: "Maples is now closed.
"Thank you for your custom, it has been a pleasure to serve Giffnock. Thank you to all of our customers for your custom since we opened in 2023."
'Lovely' Giffnock restaurant suddenly closes after two years (Image: Google)
READ MORE: Popular Glasgow bar & nightclub announces closure after a decade
READ MORE: Glasgow cafe in busy area announces its shock closure after a few years
Meanwhile, the venue has also been marked as 'permanently closed' on Google.
READ MORE: Much-loved Glasgow cafe announces shock closure after eight years
(Image: Google) Following the closure, gutted locals have taken to Facebook to share their sadness about the news.
One said: "Very sorry to hear that it has closed. I have been intending to go in for ages."
A second cried: "Shame it's closed as the food was so nice and the staff were lovely."
Meanwhile, another person added: "Aww, this is such a shame. It was a great place for brunch. The food was delicious and the staff were so friendly."
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Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Popular restaurant chain to close city centre location for good – months after closing three other sites
The restaurant and bar has been in the city for more than 10 years KITCHEN CLOSED Popular restaurant chain to close city centre location for good – months after closing three other sites Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A POPULAR restaurant chain has closed one of its city centre locations for good just months after closing three other sites. The Botanist in Birmingham city centre has permanently closed with bosses saying it was a "difficult decision" to take. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The Botanist in Birmingham City Centre has closed its doors for the last time Credit: Google Street View 2 The restaurant and bar has been in the city for more than 10 years Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk It comes after the New World Trading Company (NWTC), who are responsible for the chain, closed sites in Coventry, Sheffield and Chester earlier this year. Diners have enjoyed a decade of cocktails, Sunday roasts and trademark hanging kebabs at the restaurant on Temple Street since April 2015. And customers have taken to social media in confusion after its sudden closure. One perplexed user said: "The Botanist in Birmingham (Temple Row) has just closed. "I had a booking and they just cancelled as they are permanently closing." The restaurant has disabled its social media profiles and is now listed as permanently closed on Google. It had earned a respectable 4.3 out of 5 stars on Google reviews from nearly 3,700 customers. One happy customer shared just two weeks ago: "This is my type of restaurant/bar. "I love the sophistication, dedication, decor, vibrancy, atmosphere and everything about this restaurant!" A spokesperson for New World Trading Company said: 'We have made the difficult decision to close our Birmingham, Temple Street site. "This decision has not been taken lightly, but we believe is in the best interests for the overall health of the business. 'We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their support and custom over the years and we hope to welcome them to our other Birmingham site located at Gas Street Basin, soon.' The company also added that the closure only affects their Temple Street site. It comes as the NWTC closed sites in Coventry, Sheffield and Chester in January. And that followed the shuttering of three other sites in October 2024. The company has been undergoing a restructure after encountering difficulties and confirmed the bars were not profitable. In October 2024 New World Trading Centre agreed a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), when it said it would refocus on its Botanist brand. Famous fast-food chain dubbed 'Britain's rudest restaurant' to close final UK branch and teases future plans A CVA is a restructuring measure that lets businesses continue to trade whilst also closing stores and pushing through rent cuts. The chain had experienced financial difficulties following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. As well as closing sites the group has rebranded others and opened a new Botanist site in Bournemouth in May. It currently operates 24 sites under the Botanist brand and also operates other brands including the Oast House, and the Trading House. A swathe of other restaurants are also shutting this month including a huge Asian chain and beloved fine-dining spot. It comes as the restaurant industry struggles amid high energy prices, wholesale costs and tax hikes.
Glasgow Times
17 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
'Lovely' Giffnock restaurant suddenly closes after two years
Maples Giffnock on Fenwick Drive in the East Renfrewshire town has shut its doors. A notice on the eatery's website reads: "Maples is now closed. "Thank you for your custom, it has been a pleasure to serve Giffnock. Thank you to all of our customers for your custom since we opened in 2023." 'Lovely' Giffnock restaurant suddenly closes after two years (Image: Google) READ MORE: Popular Glasgow bar & nightclub announces closure after a decade READ MORE: Glasgow cafe in busy area announces its shock closure after a few years Meanwhile, the venue has also been marked as 'permanently closed' on Google. READ MORE: Much-loved Glasgow cafe announces shock closure after eight years (Image: Google) Following the closure, gutted locals have taken to Facebook to share their sadness about the news. One said: "Very sorry to hear that it has closed. I have been intending to go in for ages." A second cried: "Shame it's closed as the food was so nice and the staff were lovely." Meanwhile, another person added: "Aww, this is such a shame. It was a great place for brunch. The food was delicious and the staff were so friendly."
Finextra
18 hours ago
- Finextra
Innovation Doesn't Necessarily Mean Progress: By Scott Dawson
In 2013, Google launched an ambitious and attention-grabbing experiment: Google Glass. Marketed as a glimpse into the future, it promised a seamless blend of digital and physical reality through an augmented-reality headset. Journalists were enthusiastically promoting it as early as 2012, and by the time its soft launch came around industry observers were heralding the 'year of wearable tech'. Rather than going straight to stores, Glass was released to selected 'Explorers', most of them in the San Francisco Bay Area. In hindsight, this was the kiss of death for the project: it created literal haves and have-nots, with tech influencers being given access to the future while the rest of us could only watch – and be watched. Explorers soon became known as 'Glassholes' and articles were written on the privacy concerns raised by the product. Then, quietly and without fanfare, it disappeared. By 2015, production of commercial models had ceased, and what was once seen as a symbol of inevitable progress had become a cautionary tale. Google Glass didn't fail due to a lack of technical sophistication. It failed because Google misread the public's appetite for a solution to a problem they didn't have. This is the lesson we too often forget, particularly in sectors like financial services – not every innovation is progress. Sometimes, progress means making what we already have work better. What Counts as Innovation? At its simplest, innovation is the creation of something new. But new doesn't automatically mean better. Financial services, and payments in particular, have seen their fair share of novelty over the past decade. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) stands out as a particularly visible example—disruptive, widely adopted, and clearly innovative. But it's also a model under increasing scrutiny and regulatory pressure. Critics argue that BNPL promotes overextension, encourages poor financial habits, and lacks the consumer protections built into traditional credit. BNPL reflects a key tension in financial innovation, offering convenience while avoiding exploitation. When the pace of innovation exceeds the frameworks of regulation or ethical practice, we risk creating systems that appear sleek but ultimately prove unsustainable. The last few years have also seen an explosion of blockchain-based financial products—decentralised finance (DeFi), NFTs, a proliferation of altcoins and memecoins. Much of this activity promised to 'democratise' finance and unseat traditional systems and yet, outside of a relatively niche audience, the vast majority of these projects have failed to achieve practical impact or long-term credibility. Their collapse, or stagnation, underscores the danger of mistaking novelty for necessity. Can there be progress without innovation? It's possible. Some of the most important changes don't come from new ideas, but systemic change – mandating that bank accounts must be able to be accessed by disabled people for instance. Holding up NFTs next to accessibility shows that there really is little link between progress and innovation. The Legacy Trap Financial services often rely on infrastructure that is decades old. Many of the systems that process our daily transactions are built on technologies that have been in place since the 1980s or earlier. These legacy systems may be trusted but that doesn't mean make them resilient enough for purpose. While these systems are desperately due for an upgrade, we need to be careful not to do away with the aspect that work while we're pruning the less effective ones. But modernising infrastructure doesn't always require a blank slate. In many cases, the more meaningful kind of progress is found in strengthening, streamlining and securing the systems that already underpin the global economy. In essence, that can mean using existing solutions more effectively or, as was the case with expanding access to bank accounts, making them more widely available. It's not that innovation is inherently dangerous—it's that innovation for its own sake, detached from purpose, regulation or practical application often leads nowhere. Often, what we need is to listen to what people need and respond to it – innovations like the iPod that seemingly arrive from the ether to give the world something that they never thought possible ('1000 songs in your pocket') are rare, and what is more common are creations like the Miracle Mop that apply smart thinking to existing creations. There's a common myth in fintech circles that regulation is an obstacle to innovation. In reality, it often serves as a crucial foundation. Regulation provides the clarity and stability needed for innovations to scale, especially when those innovations touch-sensitive areas like data privacy, fraud prevention or consumer protection. At the same time, innovation can easily outpace existing regulatory frameworks. That's not an argument for ignoring regulation, but for approaching innovation with caution and responsibility. The collapse of several unregulated or poorly regulated digital finance platforms in recent years serves as a stark reminder of what happens when innovation races ahead without guardrails. Progress, Properly Understood The real engine of progress in payments isn't the next flashy app or protocol—it's the intersection of clear regulatory thinking, problem-solving, and pragmatic use of technology. A prime example of this is the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). Introduced in response to growing concerns around fraud and digital security, it not only addressed immediate problems but also laid the groundwork for future innovation. PSD2 enabled the rise of Open Banking across Europe, giving consumers greater control over their data and creating new opportunities for fintech companies to offer better, more personalised services. This is innovation grounded in need, informed by regulation, and aligned with consumer interest. In other words, it's meaningful progress. Technology isn't the only—or even the most important—arena for innovation. One of the most overlooked opportunities lies in education. Financial literacy and inclusion remain deeply uneven across demographics and geographies. Without addressing this foundational issue, even the most elegant solutions will leave many behind. Progress that genuinely benefits people means ensuring they can understand and use financial tools with confidence. Sometimes the right innovation isn't an app, but a curriculum. Not a new platform, but a clearer explanation. The best technological systems are useless if they're inaccessible to those they're meant to serve. Rebuilding on Solid Ground The tech industry's long love affair with the mantra 'move fast and break things' is coming to an end. The collapse of several high-profile startups and the tightening of venture capital in a post-cheap-credit era have created a new mood—one that prizes resilience over risk, clarity over chaos. In this environment, payments companies and fintechs are beginning to ask smarter questions. Not 'What can we build?' but 'What do people need?' Not 'How can we replace what exists?' but 'How can we improve it?' Google Glass was not a total failure—it was an experiment, and experiments have value. But it reminds us that simply being ahead of your time isn't enough. The future doesn't belong to those who shout the loudest about change. It belongs to those who understand where change is needed—and then build responsibly and with purpose. Innovation is a means, not an end. Let's keep our eyes on progress.
