Marks & Spencer is closing a number of cafes across the UK, with the spaces to be repurposed for uses that better suit the customer experience.
While none of the M&S London branches is affected by the closures, the news will likely be disappointing to many cafe lovers across the country.
Often seen as a spot for weary customers to take a break from their shopping and recharge, M&S cafes offer a range of hot and cold drinks and delicious breakfast and lunch items.
According to the latest announcements, 14 cafes have already closed or are set to close imminently to make way for new customer services across the UK.
It’s unclear at this point what services will replace the cafe spaces, but one regional manager appeared to suggest they’ll make way for more “product choice.”
Addressing the cafe closures, M&S regional manager in Congleton, Katie Whelan, said: “We know many of our customers want to be able to shop a wider range of M&S Food.”
“That’s why, after reviewing our Congleton store, we are re-purposing the café space in-store to provide more product choice and improve the shopping experience. We understand this will be disappointing news for some of our customers; however, our teams will continue working hard to serve them in-store.”
However, the cafe closures may not necessarily signal bad news for the brand.
While a number of UK retailers are suffering at the moment, M&S recently revealed plans to double its store numbers, suggesting that the brand is doing better than its rivals.
Here is the full list of M&S cafes that will soon be shuttered.
M&S cafe closures full list
- Crawley, West Sussex
- Dunblane, Stirling, Scotland
- Congleton, Cheshire
- Stone, Staffordshire
- Anlaby, East Riding of Yorkshire
- Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
- Martlesham Heath, Ipswich
- Bidston Moss
- Bishop Auckland
- South Aylesford, Kent
- Strood Retail Park, Kent
- Whitstable, Kent
- Canterbury, Kent
- Sittingbourne Retail Park