- Nov 14, 2016
- 2 min read

Could we be saying goodbye to our M&S

Analysts have revealed a list of Marks and Spencer stores that might close under the chain’s restructuring plans.

M&S has confirmed that they will close 30 department stores and downsize another 45 as it battles tough competition on the high street.

The Local Data Company (LDC) says it has identified the type of store that could be at risk of shutting. It also says that towns and cities with more than one store could be at risk. It also says that M&S may look to focus its efforts on retail parks rather than on declining high streets.

An LDC list, published in the Daily Mail, suggests that Liverpool and Warrington are within the areas where stores may close. However, Marks & Spencer has not yet revealed which stores might close and has criticised the latest speculation.

M&S has “full line” stores - these stores offer clothing, homewares and food and drink - in Liverpool city centre, Aintree, and Speke. There are also stores which are located in Birkenhead, St Helens , Southport and Widnes Shopping Park. As well as stores in Warrington town centre and at the Gemini retail park. M&S have Simply Food stores in locations including Queens Drive in Liverpool, Formby, Ormskirk, Bidston Moss, Liverpool Lime Street station, Bromborough and Prescot.

Matthew Hopkinson, director of the Local Data Company, said on his blog : “Detailed analysis of M&S stores shows one possible area for rationalisation which has resulted from the recent changes to retail parks.

“M&S’s retail park presence has increased by 8% whilst all other formats have seen closures.

“There are 35 towns and cities that have more than two M&S stores either on the high street, in a shopping centre or on the edge of town in a retail park. If one removes the large urban centres such as London (27 stores), Glasgow (6) and other cities there are 22 towns where one might question the need for two stores.

“Are they cannibalising their own stores?”

M&S’s Liverpool city centre store is often viewed as a “flagship” and has recently undergone an extensive £5m renovation. That could make it too valuable to close.

Mr Hopkinson said: “Another question to ask is ‘is the purpose of the store retail or marketing?’

“This is often something linked to large urban centres (flagship stores) and a very good example of which is Nike Town on Oxford Street which I am told is considered as a marketing cost and not a retail/property cost internally.”

He added: “What we do know is that stores are an important part of multichannel retailing and that the presence of stores helps drive online sales. So M&S needs to think carefully as to which stores to close with what impact on existing business tempered by the opportunities presented by new locations.”

M&S told the Mail: ‘We are very disappointed that anyone would choose to speculate in this way. This list is not based on any M&S data and we have not published any locations.”

Thankfully, our Formby stores are not on the list at the moment of stores that are closing......

The full list of Marks & Spencer stores potentially facing closure:

Aberdeen

Ayr

Banbury

Barrow-in-Furness

Basildon

Birmingham

Blackburn

Blackpool

Bolton

Boston