MARKS & Spencer has closed a flagship city centre store after 100 years of trading in a crushing blow for the high street.
Devastated shoppers have said “it’s just so sad” after the store officially closed for good on Saturday afternoon.
The Wolverhampton store shuttered its doors at 4pm yesterday[/caption]
This comes after it was revealed that the store on Dudley Street, Wolverhampton, had been performing “less well for a long period of time.”
This closure comes after shoppers and staff desperately tried to save it, with a petition receiving over 700 signatures.
However, after reportedly never recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the branch had no choice but to cease trading.
Sisters Barbara Pugh, 69, and Danuta Prior, 75, visited the store yesterday to bid their farewell.
Barbara told Express and Star: “We’ve come here ever since we were little with our mothers, buying clothes and food, and it is an absolutely fabulous shop and it is going to be such a shame for it to go from Wolverhampton.”
The M&S has been open since 1929, marking nearly 100 years of trading.
Barbara added: “The staff have been marvellous and anything you wanted, they would look for you, and when British Home Stores went, that was a loss, but with Marks and Spencer going, Wolverhampton is gone.
“We just wanted to come here today to speak to the staff and say goodbye to them.”
Staff working at the shop were reportedly informed of the closure in a meeting that took place earlier this year.
Shoppers have also taken to social media to express their sadness over the news.
One wrote: “Well done to all the dedicated staff over the years. Definitely a loss for Wolverhampton.”
Another who used to work at the store, added: “Awww, it is so very sad. I worked three great Christmases at the store with lovely people.
“I’ve been going to the store and enjoying the cafe with my children since they were toddlers, they’re all in their 20’s now.
“I will continue to be an avid M&S shopper, but would have to travel far and wide now.
“It is a real loss for the city.”
Another saddened shopper also said: “So many people close to tears.”
In a statement made earlier this year, Calum Telford, regional manager at M&S, said: “Our UK-wide store rotation programme is all about reshaping for growth and making sure every M&S store delivers the best possible shopping experience for our customers.
“That’s why we have made the tough decision to propose the closure of our Dudley Street store.
“Sadly, the store has been performing less well for a long period of time and has never fully recovered from the Covid pandemic.
“We remain committed to Wolverhampton and are working closely with the city council to find a suitable alternative food location.”
This will happen alongside modernising the works to the Merry Hill M&S branch.
Telford added: “I appreciate this will be disappointing news for customers who have shopped with us at the store over the years and I would like to thank them for their support.
“Our priority is continuing conversations with colleagues about what this announcement means for them and if the proposals go ahead, we will offer them alternative roles at M&S wherever possible.”
This closure comes after M&S announced it would be changing its business model three years ago.
Company Chairman Archie Norman said earlier this year that the company was seeking to exit “struggling town centres.”
In response to the recent closure, Councillor Chris Burden, Wolverhampton Council‘s cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, said: “We’re obviously disappointed by the news but fully understand M&S’s difficult decision was driven by wider, changing market conditions and customer behaviour.
“We’re grateful to M&S officials for the opportunity to meet with them yesterday (Tuesday) and their commitment to work with us to support staff affected.
“We were also extremely heartened to hear about their continued commitment to our city.
“In the meantime, we know how unsettling this will be for staff and the city council’s Wolves at Work employment support team is poised to join forces with DWP and a range of city partners to support workers and their families.
“We’re also keen to see the privately-owned Dudley Street site brought back into use quickly.
“It’s a prime 90,000 sq ft location in the city centre and we have already reached out to the building’s agent to seek a meeting with the new owner.”
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
