Marks and Spencer closures – which M&S stores are closing and how many job losses will there be? | The Sun

MARKS & Spencer has announced another round of store closures over the next five years as part of a national shake-up.

The struggling upmarket chain said it plans to close a further 67 stores that have "lower productivity".

But M&S also announced that it will be opening 104 new "bigger and fresher" food stores.

During the pandemic, more than 30 stores closed as clothing and homes sales were hit.

The changes are said to take place over the next five years but are hoped to be completed in three.

Marks and Spencer is yet to confirm which stores will be closing, but we will update as soon as we know.

This was on top of the 59 clothing and food stores the retailer had already closed, plus 15 food-only sites and eight outlets.

The closures were all part of a wider radical restructuring plan first announced in 2016, which aimed to close 110 stores by 2022.

Last year, the business said it wanted to reduce its number of clothing and home shops down to 180 from 247 shops – but expand its Simply Food shops from 316 to 420.

Marks and Spencer has already closed 68 stores in recent years, but its efforts to cut its rent bill were disrupted by the pandemic.

So far, M&S has only confirmed the locations it has closed between 2016 and 2019 – here's what we know about which stores have closed so far…

Which M&S clothes stores are going to close?

M&S hasn't confirmed a full list of where the 67 stores earmarked for closure announced today are located.

But we've asked M&S and we will update you as soon as we can.

These are the 35 clothing stores that closed between November 2016 and March 31 2019 – although do note that while six of the stores shut down these were relocated to other locations within the same area:

• Andover
• Basildon
• Birkenhead
• Bournemouth
• Bridlington
• Clacton
• Covent Garden
• Crewe [Relocation]
• Darlington
• Dover
• Durham
• Edgware Broadwalk
• Falkirk
• Falmouth
• Fareham
• Fforestfach
• Greenock [Relocation]
• Keighley
• Kettering
• Kirkcaldy
• New Mersey Speke [Will change to a food-only store]
• Newmarket
• Newry [Relocation]
• Northampton
• Portsmouth
• Putney
• Redditch
• Slough
• St Helens [Relocation]
• Stafford [Relocation]
• Stockport
• Stockton
• Walsall
• Warrington
• Wokingham [Relocation]

And these are the 13 clothing stores that closed between April 1 2019 and May 22 2019:

• Ashford
• Bedford
• Boston
• Buxton
• Cwmbran
• Deal
• Felixstowe
• Huddersfield
• Hull
• Luton Arndale
• Newark
• Rotherham
• Weston Super Mare

Which M&S food stores are closing?

M&S announced in 2019 that 25 food stores will close or relocate by April 2024.

The retailer said it is focusing on shutting or relocating its smaller, low volume stores.

It will, however, be opening 75 new larger food stores but again we don't know where these will be.

But M&S closed the following food stores between July 2018 and early 2019 – it said these were separate from its restructuring programme:

• Bayswater
• Holloway Road

Which M&S outlet stores are closing?

The following outlet stores were also shut in 2018 and 2019 but M&S said last year that these weren't part of the restructuring programme and added that it didn't have any plans to get rid of any other outlet shops:

• Fleetwood Outlet
• Newton Abbot Outlet
• Junction One Antrim Outlet

Why are M&S stores closing?

In November 2016, the high street chain said that it had marked 100 low-performing stores for closure or change as part of a big 10-year restructuring plan.

Stores closures began in April 2017 m when the first six stores were announced for closure.

In May 2018, M&S then announced that it was accelerating its plans with over 100 clothes stores due to close by 2022.

By May 2019, M&S revised its plans to 120 clothing store closures by April 2024. It says 48 clothing stores have been closed ore relocated until this date.

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 a number of national lockdowns over 2020 and 2021, many retailers' sales, including M&S, took a big hit.

This year the changes come as it faces a tough consumer backdrop, rising inflation and a £100 million hit from soaring energy costs.

The retailer has said that it is accelerating up its store overhaul to save around £309 million in rent costs.

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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.

In 2020, both Topshop's owner Arcadia Group and Debenhams collapsed.

While Thorntons announced last year that it plans to shut all stores.

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