(member)

07/01/2009 11:10

M&S to close

25 of their simply food stores and two normal stores. Truly a sign of the times.

I thought that M&S was one the strongest areas of their business but obviously not.

(member)

07/01/2009 11:12

Re: M&S to close

Glitter Queen,

My OH is awaiting news today as he works part time in one of the Simply Food stores, it is indeed a worrying time.

If his store doesnt meet the criteria, he will be out of a job.

Plasmo x

(member)

07/01/2009 11:13

Re: M&S to close

We have a fairly new Simply Food near us and another one that is due to open ....wonder if they are safe... i use it a lot... too much really as it is so handy and close to home!

(member)

07/01/2009 11:13

Re: M&S to close

Yes, but there simply food stores are in some weird places. There is one on the A13 near Stanford le Hope. You can't see it from the road or even from the petrol station, which is near. So who goes there?

And the turn over of food, must go past sell by date very quickly.

I think it was a gamble, which obviously didn't work for 27 outlets. Which is not very many in the grand scheme.

Loo

PS BOILER HAS BROKEN!

(member)

07/01/2009 11:26

Re: M&S to close

Fingers crossed for you O/H Plasmo.

i think food stores have been suffering because it's easy for people to food shop more cheaply and M&S food has been expensive, though decidedly good quality.

(member)

07/01/2009 11:27

Re: M&S to close

Plasmo i'm so sorry to hear that I hope the news is good for your OH.

Loo - can't believe your boiler is broken. Is it a condenser type?

(member)

07/01/2009 11:41

Re: M&S to close

Plasmo

Hope your OH gets good news and not bad. What a sign of the times.

Loo - thanks for help on avatar... will attempt it later - watch this space!!

amelica2

(member)

07/01/2009 11:43

Re: M&S to close

Hi Plasmo, hope its good news for your OH! and the store he works in is one that is staying open.
My d works part time in our local sainsburys, has done for the past 4 years, she has always worked at least 20 hours a week, sometimes full time when she is back from uni. Her contracted hours are 14 and as of last week everyone in the store has been told no-one will be working anymore than their contracted hours. Have to say I am surprised but it is obviously a sign of the times. Now I will complain if I have to stand in a queue if there is not enough checkout operators.

(member)

07/01/2009 11:47

Re: M&S to close

Chippie, I so agree with you - I hate having to queue.

(member)

07/01/2009 12:39

Re: M&S to close

My stepdaughter works in their head office and we're really worried that she might lose her job as she hasn't been there very long. She is getting married next month and it would be awful if she were to lose her job now. My OH hasn't heard from her today and she would definitely have rung him if she'd had bad news so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

These are the stores which may be closing -

Grafton Centre, Cambridge
Bracknell
Torquay
Imperial Wharf
Harbourside Bristol
Newtownards
Trowbridge
Letchworth
Huntingdon
Marlborough
Braintree
Caversham
Balham
Palmers Green
Colmore Row
Evesham
Tewkesbury
Whitley Bay
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Biggin Hill
Sudbury
Ripon
Melton Mowbray
Honiton
Market Harborough
Valley Park Croydon
Woking

I use the Biggin Hill one occasionally, and it never seems very busy compared to other Simply Food stores which I use....

Plasmo, I do hope your OH's store is not among them x

(member)

07/01/2009 12:42

Re: M&S to close

Plasmo - I hope your OH is OK. x

(member)

07/01/2009 12:42

Re: M&S to close

Does anyone know if the large branch in Camberley Berkshire will close ??

(member)

07/01/2009 13:03

Re: M&S to close

Lillie, its the Simply Food stores that are closing. Your Camberley branch of normal M&S is one of their great shops. I have heard about it, its famous. It's huge isn't it. Don't think that would go. At least not in this first phase of down sizing.

Loo

(member)

07/01/2009 13:05

Re: M&S to close

Oh yes thats right Loo its just the smaller stores, silly me lol !

I must admit the Camberley branch is very big and my favourite store of anywhere lol

(member)

07/01/2009 13:14

Re: M&S to close

RunGirl,

Thank you so much for that, OH has just gone into work for his afternoon shift, and havent heard anything, and as his branch isnt on your list that could be good news. I do hope the news is good for your stepdaughter, and of course how sad it will be for all the people in the stores that are closing and who will be without a job. My heart goes out to them all.

Hope you are okay.

Plasmo x

(member)

07/01/2009 14:17

Re: M&S to close

Whitley Bay???? I understood it had the highest footfall per sq ft outside Oxford Street. It is tiny, however, and they have opened a food hall in their new shop at a retail park (Silverlink) about five miles away. Still, not the same as being able to walk.

(member)

07/01/2009 14:30

Re: M&S to close

There was a rumour in our town last year that we were getting an M&S foodstore. Doesn't seem likely now.

(member)

07/01/2009 17:33

Re: M&S to close

Whilst I have complete sympathy with anyone who will be made redundant as a result of these closures, feel that M&S seem to have lost the plot as far as there stores are concerned these days and I am not surprised that there has been a downturn in their profits.

The clothes have been dire for the last year and the food is overpriced and, on the whole, a bit bland (except their sticky toffee pudding!). Even the underwear seems to have lost the plot - it is all so samey and nothing pretty and original - I found it truly difficult to spend a �50 gift voucher and ended up using it for tights and candles and a supply of birthday cards. Why do retailers assume that if you are a 38" bra size that you have a double EE or larger cup size!
I tried on four pairs of trousers - all the same size and all fitted (or didnt fit) differently : cheap fabric and all missed the style side... A load of tut as Snowy said a while ago.
I appreciate that M&S Telford is hardly M&S at Bluewater, but there was absolutely nothing which either my OH or I found particularly tempting (even before Christmas).
After the M&S downturn a few years ago, Rose seemed to have turned it round, but it has sunken back into a torpor. Bring back George Davis to do some designing - Per Una doesnt seem to have moved forward at all since he fell out with Stuart Rose.
Heard on the grapevine that Laura Ashley were having difficulties, so maybe them next. Also the dreadful Land of Leather will be the next furniture (loosely speaking) business to call in the receivers.

(member)

07/01/2009 17:40

Re: M&S to close

Mollymandy I can't say that i'm surprised about Laura Ashley I think they havent moved with the times and their clothes are way overpriced.

Probably the last time I spent any money in there was in the 1980's when their wallpaper was de regueur.

(member)

07/01/2009 17:47

Re: M&S to close

I used to be a big fan of Laura Ashley. Now it is so frumpy I wouldn't buy anything.

M and S is also very frumpy...actually I have never been a fan They never have anything I would wear except for their undies and they have been a bit odd lately. I have a �20 gift card...I'll probably buy food just to use it.

Very sad to see so many shops closing though.

(member)

07/01/2009 17:47

Re: M&S to close

Sad about M&S; I guess we won't be getting a store here now (they were said to be interested) I will be sad if Laura Ashley goes, their winter collection was much improved - I spent money there for the first time in 20 years! Infact I bought more clothes in Laura Ashley in the last few months than i have in M&S!

I wonder what the high streets of the future will look like - charity shops and poundlands?

(member)

07/01/2009 17:53

Re: M&S to close

I hope we are not going to be left with just cheap shops in the High St - Primark, New Look, Poundland etc. They are okay to have a look in occasionally but I don't want them to be all that's left.....M&S clothes have gone down recently - but I think they are trying to compete with Primark et al. They have tailored trousers for �15 - awful quality. Their food has also declined in quality. I am a lazy mare who works long hours and I often bought their ready meals, but the only ones I buy from there now are the Gastropub ones and they are pricy. I soemtimes used to buy one of their freshly made baguetters with off the bone ham and mature cheddar which used to be nice, but both I and OH had one recently and agreed that they are just using ordinary ham which was a bit fatty - price still the same though. Fingers Xed that this downturn does not last long. (Think we have all been a bit profligate and have had a spend spend spend mentality so a bit of a cutback was overdue, but all these jobs going is very worrying and distressing for those who are affected.)

(member)

07/01/2009 17:53

Re: M&S to close

Hi All. So glad your OH seems to be ok Plasmo.But what a shame for all the other jobs.And it is only the start of the year,what else could go? It is a bit scary. I have to say that I do feel the quality has gone from much of the clothing. Personally, I would rather pay a bit more and have good quality.I love the food hall.I'm probably keeping the local Simply Food open alone,hee hee.If M&S closed completely I don't know where I would shop! Oopsi.

(member)

07/01/2009 17:57

Re: M&S to close

I will be very sorry to lose the Tewkesbury branch of S.Food
It has helped Tewkesbury to lift itself up since it opened a few years ago when Iceland closed. Tewkesbury will sink back into a third rate market town again sadly. Too many charity shops and not enough quality shops. I have enjoyed the two for �10.00 suppers the S.Food has been doing lately and do drop in for other things from time to time......not enough obviously!!!

(member)

07/01/2009 18:21

Re: M&S to close

M/S have really lost the plot,their bras are cheap,and nasty
clothes the same.Was surprised that Next is doing well,as
their clothes are very boring,and poor quality..but someone
likes them!!!

(member)

07/01/2009 18:24

Re: M&S to close

Bel why does your writing only go across 2/3rds of the page?

(member)

07/01/2009 18:27

Re: M&S to close

sorry to hear about M&S branches closing. Fingers crossed for everyone who has family and friends working there.

Miss F does a lot of shopping in the Cambridge branch and it always seems busy when we go there, but obviously not busy enough!

(member)

07/01/2009 19:12

Re: M&S to close

Have to say I was surprised at the Grafton Centre closing as it always seemed to do a good trade. Newmarket, on the other hand, never seemed that great... and in close proximity to Waitrose.

We work next to a big Laura Ashley superstore which in all fairness had some really nice accessories and some of the best clothes they have had for a while. They do, however, have a lot of problems with their delivery timelines and were very heavily discounting their furniture. Its no good cutting your margin to such a level that you are no longer achieving a decent profit margin.

Would be sorry to see them go, but they have been close to failure before and times are even harder now... keeping all crossed as they are a really nice bunch of girls inspite of sending in their customers to use our loo!

Bel - I think that Next do particularly well with their children's clothing as agree their clothes are a shadow of what they used to be when the shop first opened (again George Davies) in the 1970/1980s.

(member)

07/01/2009 22:14

Re: M&S to close

Hi Glitterqueen,have not got a clue,laptop has always presented this way......any suggestions how to alter this on my laptop?

(member)

07/01/2009 22:47

Re: M&S to close

Ha,ha,got it OH sorted it out!!!!Mind you rather liked my personal style GT.

(member)

08/01/2009 01:00

Re: M&S to close

It's really strange as the M&S here in Hong Kong is fantastic. When they opened the store is was full of yuky stuff but now they seem to have got it right. My friends parents came over and the Mum did a huge shop here because we have better colours and styles over here.... I get the odd bits from there but its not all that cheap and the underwear department drives me wild will 90% of bras padded. I hate padded bras....

(member)

08/01/2009 04:57

Re: M&S to close

Down with padded bras - hate them too. Got quite enough padding of my own!

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