York store among six Marks and Spencer sites set to close

Marks and Spencer has announced plans to close a total of six stores, which is affecting 380 jobs.

One of the six sites is Marks and Spencer’s Simply Food store at Monks Cross in York.

The retail giant is now consulting with colleagues on the proposed closure, but has guaranteed that all 30 employees will be redeployment at other nearby stores.

If the Monks Cross store does close, the majority of employees will join the larger Vangarde store or the city centre Marks and Spencer site.

The other proposed stores closures are located in Portsmouth, Slough, Warrington, Wokingham and Worksop.

Alison Grainger, head of Marks and Spencer’s north division, said: “Proposing to close M&S Monks Cross Simply Food is not a decision we have taken lightly. It is now important that we work closely with our colleagues on the consultation and it is our intention that nobody would leave M&S.

“We are committed to delivering the very best of M&S to our customers in York. We have three other popular stores in the city, including our Vangarde store which is only 500 metres from the Monks Cross store.”

These proposed closures are part of Marks and Spencer’s five-year programme to improve its UK store estate in order to adjust to the changing needs of customers. The retailer announced that 36 new stores are set to open in next six months, which will create 1,400 new jobs created.

Steve Rowe, chief executive of Marks and Spencer, commented: “Each proposal we make will be very carefully considered with our colleagues and customers firmly front of mind. It is our intention that nobody leaves M&S and we will work as hard as possible to ensure that we can deliver against this promise.”

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