Marks and Spencer has confirmed the exact date its historic flagship store will close. The shop, which has been operating since 1929, has failed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and will now shut its doors for good.
It has been revealed that the M&S on Dudley Street, Wolverhampton, will close on Saturday, September 27. The closure was announced last month after bosses said the store had “never fully recovered” from the impact of the pandemic. Staff have been told that an alternative destination for the store is being sought, but the specific location is yet to be confirmed.
As reported by The Sun, M&S regional manager, Calum Telford, said: “I would like to say a massive thanks to all our customers who have shopped with us over the years and our colleagues, past and present, who have contributed to the store.
“We have a proud history in Wolverhampton and are working with the city council to find a suitable alternative food location.
“This is part of our wider investment into the Black Country, including modernising our Merry Hill store, and we will keep the local community updated.”
He added: “In the meantime, conversations are continuing with our store colleagues and we will offer them alternative roles at M&S wherever possible.”
Wolverhampton Council is now working alongside M&S to find a new location in the city and to support staff and their families.
A council spokesperson said: “It will be sad to see M&S leave the Dudley Street store at the end of September – but they remain committed to Wolverhampton and we are working with them to identify suitable locations that fit their new business model.
“We appreciate how unsettling this is for staff, and the council’s Wolves at Work employment support team is connected with M&S to support workers and their families.
“We are also keen to see the privately-owned Dudley Street site brought back into use quickly. As everyone knows, town and city centres across the country are changing, and we fully understand M&S’s difficult decision was driven by wider, changing market conditions and customer behaviour.”
In 2022, M&S announced it intended to open an extra 100 new food halls by April 2026 and confirmed plans to reduce the number of traditional department store openings from 247 to 180.