M&S announce to plans to close one-third of all ‘core stores’ by 2022

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