Ten high street stores are set to close this weekend as two major brands, M&Co and Marks & Spencer, continue to shut branches. The closures come amid ongoing struggles for the UK high street, which has been hit by the rise of internet shopping, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the cost of living crisis.
M&Co, which fell into administration for the second time in two years in December, will close eight stores on Saturday. The brand's intellectual property was sold to Yours Clothing in February, but its physical stores are being shut down. In total, M&Co is closing 170 stores, with 51 already closed.
Marks & Spencer is also closing two stores this weekend, as part of a plan to shut 67 'lower productivity' stores. The branches on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough and Deansgate in Bolton will close on Saturday. The M&S store in Carlton Street, Castleford, will close next week on April 22.
Despite the closures, M&S confirmed in January 2023 that it plans to open 20 new 'bigger, better' stores this year, along with 104 new Simply Food sites by early 2028. The retailer currently has 316 Simply Food stores and aims to increase that to 420.
The high street has lost major brands such as H&M, HMV, Debenhams, and Paperchase since 2020, as well as restaurant chains like Frankie and Bennies, Bella Italia, and Byron Burger. Store closures are expected to continue as rising inflation hits retailers hard.
