A MAJOR high street department store has announced plans to close a key branch and shoppers are gutted.
Marks and Spencer has confirmed it will be closing its store in Queensgate Shopping Centre, Peterborough.
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The store is due to be closed in April but a final date will be determined after a consultation.
The retailer announced plans to close the shopping centre store because of shoppers changing shopping habits.
The store has three floors including a food hall and an M&S cafe. Shoppers could also find a variety of different clothes and a Bureau de Change.
Shoppers will soon need to head to M&S Peterborough Brotherhood store for M&S food, clothes and home products.
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Or they will need to go to the M&S Foodhall in Serpentine Green shopping centre where they can pick up click & collect purchases.
Hundreds of shoppers took to Facebook to share their disappointment after hearing the news.
One user said: “That’s it then folks.”
“Bugger all worth going into the city centre for!” said another.
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A third user said: “Gutted. Shop there a lot.”
“The legacy of online shopping,” cried someone else.
Many have also issued outspread concern for the store’s current staff.
Craig Burton, M&S regional manager, said: “Shopping habits are changing, so we’re rotating our store estate to make sure we have the right stores to offer customers a brilliant shopping experience.
“As part of this transformation, we have today announced to colleagues our proposal to close our M&S Peterborough store in the Queensgate shopping centre.
“Our priority now is to talk to our colleagues about what this announcement means for them.
“Should the proposals go ahead, we will offer them alternative roles with M&S wherever possible.
“In recent years we have invested over £31million in our stores in the East of England and we look forward to working with the local council to bring forward plans for further future investment into Peterborough and the wider local area.”
In 2021 John Lewis announced it would be closing its flagship which was located in the same shopping centre.
The John Lewis store first opened in 1982 and was open for almost 40 years.
M&S has already announced a string of city centre closures which shoppers have called an: “Absolute disgrace”.
The full list of M&S closures that have taken place so far are:
- East Kilbride – February 2023
- Fenchurch Street, London – March 2023
- Meadowbank Retail Park in Edinburgh – April 2023
- Castleford – April 2023
- Bolton – April 2023
- Cardiff – April 2023
- Manchester – August 2023
- Swindon – October 2023
- Birmingham city centre – November 2023
- Barnsley’s town centre – November 2023
Branches in Sunderland and Aberdeen are also set to close.
But it’s not all bad news the high street retailer has also announced plans to open at least three new stores next year.
Several other retailers have been struggling to get by over the past few years.
Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.
This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Homebase closed a store last year leaving it with just 93 stores remaining since it was taken over by Hilco Capital in 2018.
Poundstretcher closed multiple stores last year but also opened new stores in closed Wilko stores.
Even charity shops are struggling Oxfam confirmed it would close eight of its UK stores last year.
Clintons, Boots, HMV and Halfords are among the chains shutting stores before January 28.
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