Which M&S stores are closing? 2023 update

We've shared what we know of the M&S stores closing in 2023, as the retailer confirms end dates for several stores this April.

The last few years have seen a challenging consumer climate, with Boots stores closing, the closing of Iceland stores and Argos shops closing down all in part to a harsh economic backdrop. Like it's high street counterparts, M&S has sadly become another chain to fall victim to sale losses and rising running costs. And the result of this has led the British retailer to announce the closure of further stores - adding to the already large list of shops shutting down as part of it's restructuring model.

It's sad news for fans of the long-serving department store that's dressed and fed generations since 1884. So if you're concerned you won't be able to pick up an original Colin the Caterpillar birthday cake or indulge in a dine-in deal for two, check out to see if you're nearest M&S is going to be affected.

Which M&S stores are closing? 2023 update

It was announced that from October 2022 onwards, a further 67 M&S stores are set to close down. The high street retailer said that it was closing 'lower productivity' stores in an effort to save the business £300 million.

The newly announced store closures equate to a quarter of it's total shops shutting down. M&S chief executive Stuart Machin confirmed that the aim was for 180 'full line' shops to remain from early 2028 - selling food, clothing and homeware. This new figure is a huge reduction compared to it's current 247 stores.

M&S first announced a big 10-year restructuring plan in November 2016. Part of this plan was the closure of 100 low-performing stores by 2022 and a shift in focus to food.

The retail giant then revealed they would increase the number of store closures to 120 in May 2019. With a new deadline given of April 2024.

In 2021, M&S confirmed plans to close another 30 branches and merge or move a further 80 in order to increase profits. This was not long after a previous 59 clothing and food stores were announced to shut too.

M&S store closures: Full list

1. Eastkilbride shopping centre, Glasgow - closed February 25
2. Linthorpe Road, Middlesborough - closing April 15
3. Carlton Street, Castleford - closing end of April
4. Meadowbank retail park, Edinburgh - closing in spring
5. Newport Road, Cardiff -closing in  spring
6. Eagles Meadow, Wrexham - closing in autumn
7. Deansgate, Bolton - closing TBC

In April 2023, M&S confirmed 7 of the 67 stores that are set to shut down this year. The high street retailer will be closing stores in England, Wales and Scotland - which comes as a blow for UK customers.

As it currently stands, we're still awaiting details on the 60 other stores that will be closing down, but we'll update you as soon as we know more.

An independent review by location specialist CACI have suggested that Marks & Spencer stores in Merton, Birmingham, Oadby and Sevenoaks could be on the list of sites shutting. They based these suggestions on two factors: "available spend in each store’s catchment areas and the health of the local retail market". These are just predictions though and have not been confirmed by anyone.

Which M&S stores have closed already?

The following 48 M&S stores have since closed or relocated following the last round of M&S store closures in 2021:

1. Andover
2. Ashford
3. Basildon
4. Bedford
5. Birkenhead
6. Bournemouth
7. Boston
8. Bridlington
9. Buxton
10. Clacton
11. Covent Garden
12. Crewe [Relocation]
13. Cwmbran
14. Darlington
15. Deal
16. Dover
17. Durham
18. Edgware Broadwalk
19. Falkirk
20. Falmouth
21. Fareham
22. Felixstowe
23. Fforestfach
24. Greenock [Relocation]
25. Huddersfield
26. Hull
27. Keighley
28. Kettering
29. Kirkcaldy
30. Luton Arndale
31. Newark
32. New Mersey Speke [Will change to a food-only store]
33. Newmarket
34. Newry [Relocation]
35. Northampton
36. Portsmouth
37. Putney
38. Redditch
39. Rotherham
40. Slough
41. St Helens [Relocation]
42. Stafford [Relocation]
43. Stockport
44. Stockton
45. Walsall
46. Warrington
47. Weston Super Mare
48. Wokingham [Relocation]

Why are M&S stores closing?

The high street retailer has announced a store shake-up to tackle a soar in running costs in recent years - with staffing costs and increased energy bills believed to be part of the problem. 

The Daily Mail reports that part of the £300 million the business hopes to save from the shop closures includes trying to reduce an anticipated £100 million energy bill. "Mr Machin said energy costs were already £40m higher than this time last year, adding that they could rise to £100m next year," states the publication. 

It's understood that the stores alone equate to 80 per cent of M&S' energy usage - primarily from running lights, tills and refridgerators. 

Marks and Spencer - like most other retailers - also suffered a financial loss during the coronavirus pandemic. Like all other non-essential shops, M&S were ordered to close their stores during a number of national lockdowns over 2020 and 2021. And this had a major impact on customer sales and the retailer's finances.

M&S reported a £201 million loss in 2020, with sales in clothing and food down by 31%. This is a huge difference to the £67 million profit they made in 2019.

Are M&S opening any new stores?

Despite continuing with their plans to close some stores, Marks and Spencer confirmed in January 2023 that they were to open 20 new "bigger, better" stores this year.

Eight large "destination" stores will open in some of Britain's biggest shopping centres like Leeds White Rose, Liverpool One, Birmingham Bullring, Manchester's Trafford centre and Lakeside Thurrock. The Leeds and Liverpool store are pegged to open in Summer 2023, with the new Birmingham store being unveiled in Autumn 2023. Winter 2023 will see the grand opening of the Lakeside and Manchester M&s stores. 

Five of M&S's new stores will open up in former Debenhams site, as part of an M&S investment to occupy and imporve current vacant properties. 3,400 new jobs will be created as a result of the company's 'store rotation programme'.

"Stores are a core part of M&S’s omni-channel future and serve as a competitive advantage for how customers want to shop today," says Stuart Machin, CEO of M&S. "Our store rotation programme is about making sure we have the right stores, in the right place, with the right space and we’re aiming to rotate from the 247 stores we have today to 180 higher quality, higher productivity full line stores that sell our full Clothing, Home and Food offer whilst also opening over 100 bigger, better food sites."

The new stores will coincide with the opening of a further 104 Simply Food outlets, which were announced back in October 2022. These are often the smaller 'food to go' shops that motorists find at petrol and service stations.

Taking place from now till early 2028, this will increase their current Simply Food stores considerably from 316 to 420. A select number of Simply Food stores are set to reopen in the same area or location as sites that were previously named for closure.

Did M&S close their banks?

M&S closed their in-store bank branches in summer 2021. This aligned with closures to its current accounts and regular saver accounts on August 31, 2021. Despite there now being no physical bank branches left, M&S will still provide a bank service to customers online by offering credit cards and other financial services.

Services now available as part of M&S banking include:

• M&S Credit Card
• M&S Personal loans
• M&S Club Rewards
• M&S Car Insurance
• M&S Pet Insurance
• M&S Travel Insurance
• M&S Home Insurance
• M&S Travel Money
• M&S Savings and Investments

Is M&S still delivering?

Yes, M&S is still delivering items to customers. Standard delivery costs £3.50, or is free for orders over £50 (exclusions apply) and these will be delivered between three and five working days but you will have to check your postcode for delivery.

Nominated/ next day delivery priced at £4.99 is available for clothing, home, and beauty. Choose a day that suits you and order by 10pm for next-day delivery. Timeslot delivery £5.99 is temporarily unavailable.

Flowers are free delivery - simply order by 7pm for next-day delivery.

Wine delivery is £4.99 or free for orders over £100 for delivery between three and five working days. Nominated next-day delivery is available for wine, costing £6.99 or free with a £150 minimum spend.

If delivery isn't for you, M&S still offers free click & collect service on clothing, home (except furniture) and beauty. Orders can be collected from 12pm on the chosen day of collection and don't worry if you can't make that day, stores will hold items for seven days.

Customers who have food to order can pick up their purchases from 9am on the chosen day of collection, just make your way to the food information desk.

All M&S furniture comes with free/nominated next-day delivery but customers are advised that orders can take anything between one and six weeks to dispatch. A note in the item description will provide this information and an estimated time frame.

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