High street icon with 400 branches to shut ‘always busy’ food shop used ‘every day’ leaving shoppers bereft

MUCH LOVED high street icon Marks & Spencer has confirmed one of its foodhalls is set to close in the coming months.

The posh retailer currently runs over 400 stores across the country and is a high street staple for many.

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But now the retailer will be closing the doors of its Hazel Grove branch in Stockport.

There is no official closing date yet, but the retailer has said the store will close in line with the end of its lease in January 2025.

The store on Commercial Road first opened in 2006.

A spokesperson told The Sun: "We have made the decision to close our Hazel Grove Simply Food in line with the end of our lease at the site.";

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But shoppers aren't happy about the closure.

On Facebook, one person reacted to the news, by saying: "It’s always busy and the ageing population find it easy to pop in rather than travelling further afield.

"Hazel Grove will have nothing left at this rate! It’s also great when collecting Xmas & party orders. Will be greatly missed by a lot!"

Another person added: "Will miss this one, sad to lose it."

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Someone else said: "Sad, but a sign of the times."

Another commented: "That shop though small is always busy. So sad."

Last year, M&S opened it's flagship foodhall at the Peel Centre Retail Park in Stockport town centre, and other branches nearby include it's site on Coppice Way at Handforth Dean, and the Cheadle Hulme petrol station on Church Road.

At the end of November, M&S also unveiled a brand new shop at the Trafford Centre in the former Debenhams unit at the far end of the shopping centre.

The spokesperson added: "In terms of store openings planned for this financial year, we said up to two full-line stores, nine new food stores and 25 renewals.

"We opened another of those food stores yesterday at M&S Friern Barnet."

The brand has delivered some of its best results in almost three decades, and gained almost a million new customers - providing its healthiest finances since 1997.

And upbeat boss Stuart Machin hailed the news by ruling out using the chain’s Sparks rewards scheme to join a “tricksy” low-price promotions war.

Mr Machin said he had just spent six years trying to ditch confusing discounts that make shoppers reluctant to pay full price.

And he vowed: “At M&S we don’t do tricksy ­pricing. So we won’t be doing Sparks pricing.

“We don’t think giving special prices to Sparks customers — and not giving them to everyone — is being a trusted retailer.”

Total M&S sales rose by 9.3 per cent to £13billion in the year to March — as its pre-tax profits shot up 41 per cent to £672.5million.

The City has bought into the turnaround of the iconic 140-year-old British name.

Its shares, which rose by as much as six per cent yesterday, have climbed by 76 per cent in the past year to 287.8p — leaving the company valued at £5.6billion.

The Percy Pig retailer has invested £60million in the past 12 months to lower food prices, resulting in a 13 per cent rise in food sales.

Which M&S food stores have closed?

M&S announced in 2019 that 25 food stores would close or relocate by April, 2024.

It also plans to open over 100 bigger Foodhall sites by 2028.

The retailer said it is focusing on shutting or relocating its smaller, low-volume stores.

M&S has closed the following food stores:

• Bayswater
• Holloway Road
• Wrexham

A branch in Cheltenham is set to close this summer too, although an exact closure date is yet to be revealed.

Why are M&S stores closing?

M&S first earmarked a host of stores for closure in late 2016, saying 100 low-performing branches would shutter as part of a giant 10-year restructuring plan.

In May 2018, the retailer then announced it was accelerating its plans with over 100 clothes stores due to close by 2022.

It later revised its plans, and said it would close 120 clothing stores by April 2024.

In October 2022, amid a tough consumer backdrop, rising inflation and a £100million hit from soaring energy costs, it then confirmed it would carry out a further store overhaul to save around £309million in rent costs.

The retailer told investors it was speeding up its plan to reach a target of 180 "full line" shops, which sell food, clothing and homeware products, by 2028, down from 247.

M&S has previously said it was focused on moving out of tired stores on high streets with low footfall.

It added it was more in favour of relocating to retail parks, which continue to prove popular with shoppers.

Which stores have opened?

Cities like Leeds and Liverpool have already become home to new M&S stores.

Nine openings in November last year included six new stores plus three store renewals.

It also plans to open over 100 bigger Foodhall sites by 2028.

M&S plans to operate 180 full-line (which include clothing, home and food) and 400 food halls within the next four years.

The new openings will bring investment in new stores to £480million, M&S has said.

In a fresh update, the posh retailer said it will pull up the shutters on two new branches and refresh 12 more across London as part of a £30million investment.

One new foodhall opened in Sidcup on June 19, and another will open in Friern Barnet August 19.

Meanwhile, stores in Brixton Road, Chancery Lane, Teddington and Blackheath are set for renovation this summer.

The 12 stores will reopen with bigger in-store bakeries, dedicated flower and wine shops and click and collect services.

The latest round of investment comes as part of M&S' store rotation programme, which aims to operate 180 full-line stores and 420 foodhalls across the UK.

M&S currently runs 80 stores across Greater London and has invested over £20million in its London store estate in recent years.

Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S, said: "We cannot wait to bring the magic of M&S to even more customers across the capital.

"Expanding our presence in London is a key part of our growth strategy – our market share in food is higher here than any region in England and there is plenty of untapped potential."

It's not just larger stores M&S is investing in across London - it is also expanding its convenience store presence too.

List of stores M&S is opening or refreshing

M&S has revealed details for seven of the stores set to open or earmarked for renovation.

Store openings

• Sidcup – opened June 19
• Friern Barnet – opening August

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Renewals

• Brixton Road – expected Summer 2024
• Chancery Lane – expected Summer 2024
• Blackheath – expected Summer 2024
• Teddington – expected Summer 2024
• Islington – expected early 2025