‘The city is in decline’ M&S shoppers are calling for more stores to close
M&S is set to close another two stores for good, leaving shoppers devastated.
The retailer is pulling down the shutters on its sites in Crawley and Doncaster.
The Doncaster store, located in Baxtergate, has been in the city center for more than 50 years and shoppers have branded the closure as “disgusting”.
On social media, someone said: “This is awful, it’s a great store to go to.”
Another said: “Disgusting! They should reconsider this!”
While another commented: “The city is in decline.”
It’s not all bad news, as the retail giant is moving to a nearby retail park on Wheatley Hall Road, according to a local news outlet. Doncaster Free Press.
It’s disgusting that they have to reconsider this!
Social media user
However, shoppers complain that it is not very accessible for people who don’t drive.
One person said: “This means my mum would have to take two buses to get there which would be a nightmare for her.”
Crawley residents feel much the same about the loss of their local M&S.
The store, based in Queensway, has been around for decades and a councilor told the local news outlet: The Argus that the decision to close the store was “a real blow to the city centre”.
One local wrote on Facebook that it was “such a shame” and another said it was “the only decent shop in Crawley”.
A third angry customer said: “This is a travesty!”
While a fourth commented: “We won’t be anywhere in our city soon.”
Earlier this year the retailer confirmed it would also close its Walworth store in south London.
The popular store has been serving locals for more than 100 years and the news came as a shock to the community.
Commenting on the Walworth closure, M&S regional manager Gordon Scott said the proposal to close the store was due to “changing shopping habits”.
The Sun has contacted M&S for comment on the store closures in Doncaster and Crawley.
In 2022, the retailer announced plans to close 67 “lower productivity” stores as part of a five-year plan to shake up its branch portfolio.
M&S, which operates 405 stores across the country, closed branches in Manchester, Swindon and Birmingham between August and November last year.
In addition, 40 M&S clothing stores closed between November 2016 and July 2023.
If you want to find out if your local store is next, we’ve got the full list of M&S stores set to close in 2024.
It’s not all bad news for the retailer and shoppers, however, as in January 2023 the company announced it would open 20 more stores over the course of the financial year.
At the same time, it said it will open 104 new “bigger and fresher” food stores.
In the past 12 months it has opened 22 branches, including in Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester.
What else is happening on the shopping street?
Marks and Spencer isn’t the only retailer to change course and make some changes to its store portfolio.
A combination of rising rents and costs of living has forced many large companies to rethink the way they run their businesses.
Other retailers such as Iceland, Boots and Matalan have also scaled back their store portfolios and closed branches.
This month, Boots announced it will close a total of nine locations, as part of its wider plans to lose 300 locations.
These closures will reduce the retailer’s total number of stores from 2,200 to 1,900.
This has upset many locals in the affected towns, but the health and beauty chain has said that where stores close there is an alternative store less than three miles away.
Last year, Argos began implementing plans to reduce the number of standalone stores and focus on opening more locations in Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
Last June it closed 42 UK stores, including all 34 in the Republic of Ireland.
However, things are looking good for other retailers, and despite the difficult trading conditions, some are expanding their number of stores.
Primark recently confirmed plans to open new branches and invest and renovate more than a dozen existing stores.
Meanwhile, Asda is massively expanding its portfolio of smaller Express stores, with plans to open 110 new stores.
Popular discounter B&M also said it plans to open 17 new locations by 2024, some of which will open soon.
We have the full list of chains opening stores in 2024. See if one is coming to a shopping street near you.
Why are retailers closing their stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the pressure since the pandemic, as shoppers cut back on spending due to the rising cost of living.
High energy costs and the move to online shopping after the pandemic are also taking their toll, with many high street stores struggling to continue.
The high street has seen a slew of closures in the past year, with more to come.
The number of jobs lost in UK retail fell last year, but 120,000 people still lost their jobs, figures show.
Figures from the Center for Retail Research show that 10,494 stores will have closed for the last time in 2023 and 119,405 jobs will have been lost in the sector.
It was fewer stores than had been lost in recent years, and a decrease from the 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
While some big names on the high street were lost, including Wilko, many major companies had already gone bankrupt before 2022, the center said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost of living crisis, inflation and rise in interest rates have prompted many consumers to tighten their belts, causing retail spending to fall,” said Prof Bamfield.
“Retailers themselves have faced rising energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and declining demand, making rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Besides Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it went bust, the biggest failures of 2023 include UK Flooring Direct, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Center for Retail Research said most stores were closed as companies tried to reorganize and cut costs rather than face bankruptcy.
However, experts have warned that more bankruptcies are likely this year as consumers tighten their belts and borrowing costs for businesses soar.
According to official figures, about 14% of bankruptcies last year occurred in retail businesses.