REDDITCH shoppers have spoken of their shock and disappointment that M&S is to close its store in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre.
The announcement was made on Wednesday morning with the store earmarked for closure in April.
Staff said they were ‘devastated’ at the news.
Some had worked for the company for more than 40 years but Marks & Spencer said all 66 would be moved to nearby stores although redundancy would be considered if travel was difficult.
One resident, Jane Eves, from Lodge Park spoke for many when she said: “It’s terrible, it will completely knock Redditch out as it’s the main store here, really disappointed. Devastated and shocked.”
Another, Carol Peach of Winyates Green, said: “This is a bad day. It is one of the best shops here. The food hall is excellent and we buy a lot of things from there. M&S offers quality – where will we go now?”
Barbara Heaton from Astwood Bank said: “I’m not happy about it – I’ve just spent £17 on food in there, it’s very disappointing.”
Sue Tyrrell of Church Hill added: “To be honest I’m gutted. I know the clothes side had gone down but it was the only decent food shop in town.”
Redditch is one of six stores nationwide to close, with the others in Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Durham, Fforestfach in Swansea, and Putney.
A further eight are being considered for closure – Andover, Basildon, Bridlington, Denton Outlet in Greater Manchester, Falmouth, Fareham, Keighley and Stockport.
Councillor Bill Hartnett, Leader of the borough council, said: “It is a real shame to see such a high profile national store closing, particularly when it has been in the town for so many years and has served the people of Redditch well during this time.
“We are very sad to see M&S go but do hope to see them in the town again in the future.”
Coun Greg Chance, whose portfolio covers economic development and regeneration, added: “We will continue to work closely with the Kingfisher Shopping Centre and Town Centre Partnership to develop the town and bring more businesses into the area.
“Town centre regeneration is one of our key priorities and we will continue to work with partners to deliver this.”
In a statement Marks & Spencer said the closure was part of their programme to ‘modernise its UK store estate to better meet the changing needs of customers.’
Sacha Berendji, director of Retail at M&S said: “We’re committed to transforming M&S for our customers, colleagues and shareholders. Stores will always be an integral part of our customer experience, alongside M&S.com, but we have to ensure we have the right offer in the right locations.
“We believe these changes are vital for the future of M&S and we will continue to accelerate the programme, taking tough but necessary decisions, as we focus on making M&S special.”
Andy Barber, M&S head of region for the West Midlands, said: “Closing our store in the Kingfisher Centre is not a decision we’ve taken lightly.
“However, we’re committed to offering the best of M&S in the area and I’m pleased our colleagues will be staying with us and moving to nearby stores.”
Ken Williams, general manager at Kingfisher Shopping Centre, said: “Following the announcement from M&S we can confirm the M&S store at Kingfisher Shopping Centre is due to close by the end of April.
“We will be sorry to see M&S leave Redditch as it has been an integral part of the town and has served our community well over the years.”
