Several Marks and Spencer cafes are set to close across the UK in the latest blow to shoppers.
A total of 14 M&S cafes are already closed or are due to close shortly.
The latest cafe slated to close is the M&S cafe in Congleton, Cheshire, with the cafe space set to be re-purposed.
Full list of 14 M&S cafes closing across the UK
The M&S cafe closures are not the only ones in the country in recent times, with Morrisons having shut various cafes as part of its restructuring last year.
Morrisons also shut its market kitchens, as well as some of its Morrisons Daily convenience stores, florists, meat counters, fish counters and pharmacies.
Sainsbury’s also closed a number of its in-store cafes last year.
On the latest cafe closure in Congleton, M&S regional manager 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.”
The full list of M&S cafes that have closed or are set to close is as follows:
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Dunblane, Stirling, Scotland
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Anlaby Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
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Hull Kingswood, East Riding of Yorkshire
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Martlesham Heath, Ipswich
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Maybrook Canterbury, Kent
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Sittingbourne Retail Park
M&S looking at 500 store locations in the UK
Despite the cafe closures, M&S is also looking at hundreds of locations for potential new store openings.
Marks and Spencer has put out a wish list of 500 areas across the UK as part of its new ‘potential location list’ in January.
The supermarket giant said it is looking for ‘highly visible’ and ‘accessible’ sites across the UK that are capable of delivering trading space of 18,000sqft (25,000sqft gross).
Within the M25, M&S is targeting prominent sites in all areas that benefit from strong public transport links, steady footfall throughout the week and are capable of delivering M&S Foodhalls with trading space of between 6,000–18,000sqft (10,000-25,000sqft gross).
All stores would be in the new format with an extended range of M&S Food, wider aisles for bigger shopping trolleys and larger car parks for more family shoppers.
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Alex Freudmann, Managing Director, M&S Food, said: “The strong performance of our new M&S food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth.
“With more than twenty stores opening or modernised before the end of the financial year, we are moving faster.
“Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers.”
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