Fourteen of their stores will be shut down in the next year alone.
This reorganisation aims to move a third of Marks & Spencer’s sales online in addition to having larger, but fewer, homeware and clothing stores in prime locations.
It has been estimated that the latest closures will impact 872 employees, according to the BBC.
Retail Operations Director for M&S, Sacha Berendji, says:
“We are making good progress with our plans to reshape our store estate to be more relevant to our customers and support our online growth plans.
“Closing stores isn’t easy but it is vital for the future of M&S. Where we have closed stores, we are seeing an encouraging number of customers moving to nearby stores and enjoying shopping with us in a better environment, which is why we’re continuing to transform our estate with pace.”
This is part of a five-year plan undertaken by M&S bosses and The Guardian reports that one in three of its ‘core home and clothing’ shops will close.
They have also released the full listings for store closures, as follows:
Stores that will close or are proposed for closure in 2018-19:
Bayswater (Simply Food), London, England
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England
Darlington, County Durham
East Kilbride, Scotland
Falkirk, Scotland
Fleetwood (outlet), Lancashire, England
Holloway Road, North London, England
Kettering, Northamptonshire, England
Newton Abbot (outlet), Devon, England
Newmarket, Suffolk, England
New Mersey Speke, Merseyside, England
Northampton, east Midlands, England
Stockton, County Durham, England
Walsall, West Midlands, England
Clothing and home stores that have already closed:
Andover, Hampshire, England
Basildon, Essex, England
Birkenhead, Cheshire, England
Bournemouth, Dorset, England
Bridlington, Yorkshire, England
Covent Garden, London, England
Denton (outlet), Greater Manchester, England
Dover, Kent, England
Durham, County Durham, England
Fareham, Hampshire, England
Fforestfach, Swansea, Wales
Keighley, Yorkshire, England
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Putney, London, England
Redditch, Worcestershire, England
Slough, Berkshire, England
Stockport, Greater Manchester, England
Warrington, Cheshire, England
Wokingham, Berkshire, England
Greenock (relocation), Scotland
Newry (relocation), Northern Ireland
Crewe (relocation), Cheshire, England
