M&s closures

[Raver84]

Feel sorry for the staff who will loose their jobs but does anyone shop regularly in there? The fashion is dire, the shoes mostly hiddious. I'm in my 30s so prob not the target but as a parent i think their children stuff is quite old fashioned and over priced for basics like t shirts and pjs.
The toys section is stuff that older people think children 'should' like such as patchwork knitted dolls and wooden tat. Lots of 'sensible' toys. Albeit would look nice in a show home, no children play with this do they or would love it as a gift?

If it were to leave the high street would you miss it? I like the food and the tights, but that's all. The hand bags are also ok ish.

[PenCobSwan]

I remember it as the shop my Nanna used to buy her clothes in. It seems to have come full circle now !

Their food is excellent though. Well, to me anyway.

Have they announced which stores are closing yet ?

They closed the M&S in Woking some years ago. There was an M&S food outlet by the train station.

They were/are going to put a brand new M&S in a brand new development in Woking (where the old post office used to be if anyone knows what I'm on about)

I wonder if they will still go ahead with that or shelve it.

[MizCracker]

They've just closed the one in my home town. It had been there for circa 40 years. I was really sad about that.

Yes, the women's clothing can be pretty dire (although it has been better - I remember buying clothes from the Limited Collection in my 20s) but the food is great, the children's clothing is excellent and they'd more recently branched out into high end beauty brands. It's a shame to see them on the ropes like this.

[RedPanda2]

Mid thirties here too. I'll be sad to see the beauty dept. go as they have some brands you can only buy online. Clothes are crap except the active gear. Underwear is nice but I don't rate the quality. Food is overpriced. Overall I don't think they're competitive any more

[Raver84]

Perhaps I've had bad luck with the kids clothes but even the school uniforms I've had have not been great value for money when compared to TU school skirts or john lewis which keep their shape far better and look neater IME. It's a shame for the staff feel sorry for them as I think the way the shop been run has let them down.

[IMissGin]

I’m in my early 30s and buy clothes from autograph for work, underwear, I love the kids clothes ranges. I don’t agree that the kids clothes are old fashioned at all, I think they are classic and lovely, well priced and last well.

[HollowTalk]

I don't know why they can't just bring in better designs. It can't be that difficult to do - other shops manage it!

[nancy75]

M&S has just totally lost it's way.
They want to be all things to everyone and have turned in to a shop for nobody.

I have a wonderful 96 year old great aunt - I took her to M&S recently for some new clothes and she declared lots of a it to be a bit frumpy! If you are too frumpy for a 96 year old you really do have problems

[TheWernethWife]

I love M & S, regular shopper, they can't please everyone though, agree that the food is fabulous, always pick up something when I go in on a Friday.

[toriatoriatoria]

I'm in my early 30s and always buy their skinny jeans.

[AdriannaP]

I am really not surprised.

I am in my mid 30ies have never bought any clothes there apart from bras occasionally. I don't like their children's clothes, MIL buys us children's clothes at M&S but they are not great.

Not a fan of the food either - the sandwiches all taste the same.

[Oblomov18]

No surprise. They've been struggling for a long time.

[lhastingsmua]

I’m very early 20s so not in their target market for clothing....however I would be devestated if any of my local stores closed down due to their amazing food!

[Lilyhatesjaz]

I used to buy my underwear there but the last pants I bought were a slightly different shape than they used to be and the 2 bras I bought in February have the wire coming through already so I will be looking for somewhere else to get my undies.

[IWannaSeeHowItEnds]

I think the kids clothes are bland and havebought better quality leggings and t shirts for dd in matalan for a fraction of the price.
M&S lost its way when it started producing clothes more cheaply abroad, but not reducing price or keeping quality consistently high, when it started making all it's tops too short and out of shoddy thin fabric and covering anything halfway decent in random bits of embroidery!

They need to return production to the UK (since it was the definitive British brand) and go back to making classic items such as decent coats and work wear etc.

[BigFuckingManatee]

Their clothes are butt ugly and who knows who they're supposed to be aimed at. The clothes are bloody expensive too, even in the sale.

The kids clothes are gorgeous, and the food is good too but again, too expensive (for me anyway). Not to be morbid but once all the really old ladies are gone who is going to be shopping there? They don't seem to have done a very good job of moving with the times.

[ClumsyFool]

It’s no surprise, they announced well over a year ago that there would be closures over a 5 year period, this is just the latest round of that. I don’t know what the answer is but there’s obviously a real problem with the clothing they offer and given that the cycle of buying to shop floor is about 18 months the issue is whether they can sort things out in time?

[KevinTurvey]

Perhaps they should concentrate on their food halls. I'm not sure if my local one is closing, but know loads of people who shop in the food hall and would be gutted if it closed.

[Growingboys]

I buy pants and bras and tights there, and school uniform.

Occasional food but that's not nearly as good as it used to be.

Sad.

[glasshalfsomething]

I really like their toys! He wooden ones are fab and not overpriced; my DD plays with a few of them a lot. Kids clothes, homeware, cards and shoes are my most common purchases. Food too!

We are losing our local one, and I will miss it (mainly as I don’t shop for my clothes in the high street that often any more)!

[Bluelady]

Their clothes are random, there are some nice things buried among the dross. Knickers are great, bra sizes are out of line with any other store. The beauty halls are excellent, so is the food. They only put the good stuff in the biggest stores. I really love the one just outside Camberley but 100 miles is too far away for frequent visits.

[Dumbledoresgirl]

I am in my 50s.

I shop as little as possible but I have to say M&S gets a high percentage of what I spend.

I wouldn't buy underwear or tights anywhere else. Most of my shoes in the last 10 years have come from there. I know I can trust M&S for basics such as skinny jeans, decent priced plain t-shirts, socks, nightwear, cake (if I am unable to make my own). Also, I like their lunch food in Simply Food shops at motorway services and dh relies on M&S for work shirts.

It is possible to find nice things amongst the clothes. I love a padded jacket I bought there 2 years ago, and I usually find a chunky jumper to get me through a season. I am currently wearing a skirt I bought about 3 years ago which is still my favourite summer skirt.

But - the vast majority if their clothes are horrid, absolutely horrid. Man made fibres, frumpy, soulless. I don't recognise the concept that their children's clothes are poor quality. Their school uniform stuff seems virtually indestructible, but i agree that the children's casual range is not at all appealing. I can't imagine how they have lasted this long to be honest. If I am looking for a new outfit, I could easily walk round the entire large shop and find absolutely nothing I even want to try on. And I must be their target customer: middle aged, middle class, decently solvent but not wealthy.

[Raver84]

I also wondered what will happen when sadly the older customers are no longer around. The rents on their shops must be enormous and I don't rink they have a next generation of customer to keep it going.

[NewSense]

Feeling like a right frump now..! I wear their skinny jeans and underwear and pyjamas, and can usually pick out several other items I'd definitely at least try on (were I not perpetually poor). I love having a poke around in the sales there though. Good homewares, often 50% off in sales. Got some gorgeous side plates in January....

I like their kids clothes and they do last, but yes, pretty expensive. And my kids have all played with the wooden tat...! I prefer it to the plastic noisy toys - though I do have to wait for sales again to stock up for birthday presents.

The food is good in my opinion, but more of a treat than a regular supermarket shop due to price.

I'd be sad to see them go. Though they really do seem to be trying to capture every age bracket, which they may need to narrow down on if they're to last.

[SchrodingersCaterpillar]

If my local M&S Food Hall closed down I don’t think I could go on. But couldn’t give a toss about the rest of it. In particular the fashion is horrendous (except for some of the baby clothes).

[moita]

Mid 30's here: I like its bras and the bra-fitting service is good at our local one. I also like the baby clothes but they are on the expensive side.

I love its food!