Marks and Spencer in Leicester city centre to shut

Marks and Spencer is set to close its Leicester city store. The company told LeicestershireLive this morning that it had made the "tough" decision about the huge Gallowtree Gate branch due to shopping habits changing, and making sure the company had the right stores to deliver a "brilliant shopping experience".

In January of this year, LeicestershireLive reported on the expansion of the food area at the store in Fosse Park. At the time, Leicester city council raised an objection, stating that the expansion would be likely to have a detrimental impact on nearby local shops and the city centre, as it could draw shoppers away.

The retail giant said its priority now would be to speak to staff and let them know what the "proposed" closure means for them. It said they would look to offer them roles within the business, where possible. We are covering reaction to the news live, here.

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One city shopper we spoke to about the closure said: "I am shocked to hear that M&S is closing down. I love to shop there when I'm in town. What is happening to Leicester? Lots of good shops have left the city centre. This is sad news."

Calum Telford, M&S regional manager, said: “Shopping habits are changing and our store rotation strategy is all about making sure we have the right stores with the right space to deliver a brilliant shopping experience for our customers. That means opening stores, investing in stores but also sadly closing others. As part of this transformation, we have made the tough decision to propose to close our Gallowtree Gate store in Leicester. We would like to thank all our customers who have shopped at the store over the years.

"Our priority now is talking to our colleagues about what this means for them and should the proposals go ahead, we will offer them alternative roles with M&S wherever possible.

"We are proud to have a strong footprint across the East Midlands and since 2020, have invested over £20million in our stores across the region. Our distribution centre is based at Castle Donington, employing over 1,700 people, and in which we have made a multi-million-pound investment over the past six years. In addition, this year we are also investing in our Fosse Park store in Leicestershire.”