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Marks and Spencer was founded in 1884 and quickly became an icon on the British high street, but over the years, as the high street has struggled with footfall and rising rent prices, M&S is just one of many stores having to close its doors. Across the next six months, seven more M&S stores will be closed or relocated.
Marks and Spencer is having a five-year shakeup, with 110 stores being closed altogether, and 104 new “bigger and fresher” food stores opening.
67 of the 104 stores being closed have had plans accelerated, with the following seven stores being closed this year.
The latest stores under consultation to close or relocate are:
- East Kilbride Shopping Centre – February 25
- Carlton Street, Castleford – end of April
- Meadowbank retail park, Edinburgh – spring
- Newport Road, Cardiff – spring
- Eagles Meadow, Wrexham – autumn
- Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough – April
- Deansgate, Bolton – date to be confirmed
As for why these stores and other M&S stores are closing, the brand is looking to focus more attention on M&S Simply food.
The 104 new Simply Food shops will increase M&S food-only sites from 316 to 420.
The company is planning for the closures and new openings to be complete in five years, although this could be reduced to three, as it aims to save around £309million in rent costs.
In last year’s update, the brand revealed it faced £100million hit from soaring energy costs, on top of “unprecedented inflation”.
However, it said it will invest £200million in lowering prices of its food and fashion ranges.
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Last month, M&S announced its nearly half a billion [£480m] investment in bigger, better stores across the UK.
The retailer’s investment will generate over 3,400 new jobs across the country and aims to create a fit for the future M&S store estate and a seamless experience for its customers every time they shop.
The five-year store rotation programme “is about making sure we have the right stores, in the right place, with the right space and we’re aiming to rotate from the 247 stores we have today to 180 higher quality, higher productivity full-line stores that sell our full Clothing, Home and Food offer whilst also opening over 100 bigger, better food sites,” Stuart Machin, Chief Executive of M&S commented.
“The new store pipeline for 23/24 includes eight full line destination stores in key city locations.”
Leeds and Liverpool are both due to open in the summer of 2023, with other major stores opening in Birmingham, Manchester and Lakeside in the Winter of 2023.
These five new stores will be relocated from former Debenhams sites and will feature fresh market-style food halls stocking the full M&S Food range, spacious Clothing, Home and Beauty departments, brand-new M&S cafes, sustainable innovations such as Fill Your Own, as well as free car parking to make shopping more convenient for customers.
Alongside full-line sites, M&S has planned investment in 12 new food halls in communities across the UK, including Stockport, Barnsley and Largs opening next year.
Full list of all stores being opened as part of the five-year plan:
- Stevenage – full line store – (opened April 28, 2022)
- Colchester – full line store – (opened September 7, 2022)
- Chesterfield – full line store – (opened November 30, 2022)
- Canary Wharf Cross Rail Place – Foodhall store – (November 2, 2022)
- Battersea Power Station – Foodhall store – (November 10, 2022)
- Harrogate Oatlands – Foodhall store – (November 29, 2022) – extension
- Macclesfield – Foodhall store – (November 30, 2022)
- London Colney – full renewal – (opened December 2, 2022)
- Liffey Valley Dublin – full renewal – (opened November 22, 2022)
- Purley Way – full line store – (expected Summer 2023)
- Leeds White Rose – full line store with relocations – (expected Summer 2023)
- Liverpool – full line store with relocations – (expected Summer 2023)
- Birmingham Bullring – full line store with relocations – (Autumn 2023)
- Lakeside Thurrock – full line store with relocations – (Winter 2023)
- Trafford Centre – full line store with relocations – (Winter 2023)
- Stockport – new Foodhalls – (expected Summer 2023)
- Barnsley – new Foodhalls – (expected Autumn 2023)
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