Leicester Marks & Spencer closure date announced

The likely closing date for the Marks & Spencer store in Gallowtree Gate, Leicester city centre, has been revealed. The chain told LeicestershireLive today that the branch’s “provisional closing date” was Saturday 17 August.

The closure of the store, which sells clothes, homeware, beauty and food, follows the loss of the city center branch of Sainsbury’s in 2022 and the recent closure of Wilko in Charles Street. There are fears that fewer people will be interested in visiting the city center once M&S is gone.

In a recent letter to the company’s chief executive, Leicester Civic Society chairman Burt McNeill said the other city center stores were “struggling” and the loss of M&S “could exacerbate the challenges they face”. Mr McNeill said: “The vitality of the town center depends on a mix of retailers and your store is a key component of that ecosystem.

READ MORE: A petition has been launched to save Marks and Spencer in Leicester city centre

“Leicester city center and its residents depend on Marks & Spencer”.

There were hopes the company could open an outlet store in the town or even retain a small supermarket. But the company, when asked about those possibilities, said the entire store would close.

The company flagged its ongoing investment in its recently refurbished Fosse Park store. Calum Telford, regional manager for M&S, told LeicestershireLive: “Following consultation with our colleagues, we have a provisional closing date of Saturday 17 August for our Gallowtree Gate store.

“I want to thank all our customers who have shopped with us in store over the years and we will be working hard to continue to serve them in our Leicestershire stores. Individual conversations are ongoing with our colleagues and wherever possible we will offer them alternative roles with M&S.

“Shopping habits are changing and our store rotation strategy is about making sure we have the right stores with the right space to deliver a brilliant shopping experience. Unfortunately, this means making the difficult decision to close our Gallowtree Gate store.

“Since 2020, we have invested over £20m in our East Midlands stores, alongside a multi-million pound investment in our Castle Donington distribution centre, which employs over 1,700 people. This year we are also doing our biggest renewal yet. investment to date at our Fosse Park store in Leicestershire.”

A change.org petition to save the Gallowtree Gate branch of M&S was set up after the initial announcement in early May this year. Many people expressed concern about the loss of another city center supermarket and popular coffee shop.

These were also issues raised in the Civic Society’s letter, with Mr McNeill saying: “For many older and less mobile residents, Marks & Spencer’s town center location is accessible and convenient, allowing them to -maintains independence by shopping locally. .

“Marks & Spencer has become a haven, a place to buy quality food for tea, meet friends or just enjoy a quiet coffee. The loss of this shop would create a significant gap in the services available to these vulnerable groups.”