TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Coffee chain Mr. Brown is closing eight shops within three months in the Taipei area, at least partly due to a fall in the number of customers, reports said Wednesday (Jan. 1).

The closures started last November in the capital’s Tianmu area, but since then six other outlets have been vacated, CNA reported. By the end of this month, a large coffee shop at the center of New Taipei City’s popular Tamsui District will also face closure.

According to a company spokesman, a drop in the number of visitors was the main reason for the decision to close shop, while at certain locations, rental agreements had also reached their end, CNA reported. Two additional coffee shops have reportedly been put on a watchlist, with no decision about their fate yet.

As for the employees of the eight outlets, the spokesman said some would be reassigned to other locations within the company, while some would leave, but that all changes had been agreed to with the individuals concerned. The Ministry of Labor said it had not received any notifications about mass layoffs at the company.

Mr. Brown is a subsidiary of the King Car Group, which in recent years launched Kavalan whisky and Buckskin beer.

Competition in Taiwan’s coffee retail sector has recently heated up, with domestic chain Louisa Coffee now operating more outlets than Starbucks.