‘Such a shame’ cry shoppers as M&S to close town centre store tomorrow… just months after opening
SHOPPERS have been left devastated after a posh retailer with 405 stores in the UK is set to shut another branch in just days.
This is the latest store to bite the dust in a fresh wave of closings amid the high street’s retail apocalypse.
Marks and Spencer has confirmed it will close the gates of a popular branch in Wimborne just six months after it first opened.
The M&S Food store at Crown Mead in Wimborne will close for good on April 26.
The store was first opened on October 12 last year by local school children, the town’s mayor and the friendly character Percy Pig.
The 4,000sq ft M&S Food store offered a bakery, plus a click-and-collect service for clothing and home products bought online.
Fumed locals took to Facebook to share their thoughts after hearing about the store closure.
One frustrated customer said: “It is such a shame they are closing the store.”
While another wrote: “Good grief only six months?”
A third user concluded: “Sign of the times.”
And a fourth shared: “I feel sorry for the staff who will lose their jobs.”
The Sun has reached out to M&S for comment.
M&S has also confirmed the closure date of another store in Hexam.
Local media reports the M&S store on Maiden’s Walk will is due to close for good on May 25
A spokesperson for Marks and Spencer said the Hexham branch closure was part of its “store rotation programme”.
They added: “We have announced that we are investing £480 million in bigger, better stores across the UK.
It is understood that the closure comes amid plans the retail giant’s portfolio shakeup plans.
M&S earlier said it wanted to restructure its business and put more focus on its food-only stores.
In October 2022 it announced it would shut 67 “lower productivity” locations over the following five years.
In February, the retailer confirmed it would close its store at the Broadway Shopping Centre in Bradford.
Branded as “absolutely brilliant” by shoppers on Google Reviews, the store is set to pull down the shutters on May 18.
Vickie Smith, M&S regional manager, said: “We would like to thank all customers who have shopped with us at our Bradford Broadway store.
“The store will close on May 18 and we are continuing discussions with colleagues about what this decision means for them.
“Wherever possible, we will offer them alternative roles with M&S.
Why are M&S stores closing?
In November 2016, the high street chain said that it had marked 110 low-performing stores for closure or change as part of a big 10-year restructuring plan.
Store closures began in April 2017 when the first six stores were announced would shut.
In May 2018, M&S then announced that it was accelerating its plans with over 110 clothes stores due to close by 2022.
By May 2019, M&S revised its plans to 120 clothing store closures by April 2024.
It also added 25 food stores to the firing line, saying they face being axed or relocated.
In 2021 the 30 store closures came after a year of high street retailers battling to survive as a result of the Covid crisis.
As non-essential shops were ordered to close during several national lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, many retailers’ sales, including M&S, took a big hit.
In 2022, the changes come as it faces a tough consumer backdrop, rising inflation and a £100million hit from soaring energy costs.
The retailer has said that it is accelerating its store overhaul to save around £309million in rent costs.
M&S has previously said that it was focused on moving out of tired stores on high streets with low footfall in favour of relocating to retail parks, which continue to prove popular with shoppers.
But it wasn’t just closures that the retailer announced – the chain also said it would open 104 new “bigger and fresher” food stores.
Cities like Leeds and Liverpool have already become home to new M&S stores.
Nine openings in November included six new stores plus three store renewals.
It also plans to open over 100 bigger Foodhall sites by 2028.
M&S plans to operate 180 full-line (which include clothing, home and food) and 400 food halls in the next five years.
The new openings will bring investment in new stores to £480million, M&S said in May last year.
Flagship M&S stores have popped up in several major UK cities this year, with more openings to come this year.
Retailers closing stores in 2024
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:
- Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
- B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
- Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
- Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
- Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
- Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
- Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
- M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
- Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
- WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.