Marks & Spencer has announced it is to close six stores by the end of April and has earmarked a further eight for closure as part of a transformation plan.
Its shops in Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Durham, Fforestfach, Redditch, and Putney, SW15, will close in April, with staff moving to nearby stores.
Earmarked for closure are Andover, Basildon, Bridlington, Falmouth, Fareham, Keighley, and Stockport, and an outlet store in Denton, Greater Manchester.
The closures are part of a restructure announced in November 2016, where the company said it would reposition 25% of its clothing and home space through a combination of closures, downsizing, relocation and conversions to food-only stores.
M&S has also reduced its Simply Food opening programme, and now plans to open 36 owned and franchise stores over the next six months.
New locations will include Broadstone, Dorset, St Albans, and Streatham, SW16. These stores will sell M&S food and drink and offer in-store collection for clothing and home orders.
Stores in Newry and Dover will relocate.
Sacha Berendji, director of retail at Marks & Spencer said: “We are committed to transforming M&S for our customers, colleagues and shareholders. Stores will always be an integral part of our customer experience, alongside M&S.com, but we have to ensure we have the right offer in the right locations.
“We believe these changes are vital for the future of M&S and we will continue to accelerate the programme, taking tough but necessary decisions, as we focus on making M&S special.”
This update follows M&S’s announcement in November that it is to accelerate its UK store estate plan after the better than expected levels of sales transfer from closures and plans to increase online sales.
M&S has 1,025 stores in the UK: 302 clothing, home and food; 684 food-only; and 39 outlets.
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