Cibo Norwood closes its doors following string of closures this year

Another Cibo coffee shop has closed its doors, bringing to an end more than two decades in one of Adelaide’s most popular cosmopolitan hotspots.

Cibo at Norwood is the latest in the chain to close its doors. Picture: FINELINE Media.

Another Cibo coffee shop has closed its doors, bringing to an end more than two decades in one of Adelaide’s most popular cosmopolitan hotspots.

The owners of Cibo on The Parade at Norwood have pulled up stumps and closed the doors, with property agents appointed to find a new operator to take over the space with a new hospitality or retail offering.

According to a post on Cibo Norwood’s Facebook page, the owners had been hoping to remain open until Friday (this week), but have closed down early.

It’s understood staffing issues caused the earlier than expected closure, which follows a string of other Cibo outlets closing their doors in recent weeks.

The Cibo cafe at Norwood first opened in 2004. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Cibo outlets on O’Connell St and Melbourne St at North Adelaide, King William St in the CBD and on Prospect Rd all ceased trading earlier this year following a deal struck by Retail Zoo to sell the franchise and its 22 stores in Adelaide to Queensland’s Retail Food Group (RFG).

RFG had planned to convert the sites into Gloria Jean’s outlets but many franchisees have been resistant to the change.

Nic Cox and wife Sascha Detmold Cox – who runs local packaging company Detmold Group – acquired the Cibo Norwood franchise at the height of the pandemic in 2021. Mr Cox has been contacted for comment.

The outlet – at the main entrance to the Chapley family’s Norwood Place shopping complex – first opened in 2004, four years after the Cibo chain was established by Roberto Cardone, Salvatore Pepe, Angelo Inglese and Claudio Ferraro.

Following the success of the first site on Rundle St, the Cibo chain grew to 18 franchise locations and four company-owned sites across Adelaide by the time of RFG’s acquisition.

Following the announcement of RFG’s acquisition of Cibo Espresso, the Liberal Party launched a petition in hopes of saving the iconic coffee franchise – fearing the move would result in hundreds of job losses across the state.

The petition has been signed by more than 11,000 supporters.