M&S preparing to shut down historic Wolverhampton store in days - as River Island disappears
Preparations are being made to close down Wolverhampton's iconic Marks & Spencer store at the weekend as part of moves to update the retail business.
The branch in Dudley Street has been serving Wolverhampton shoppers since 1929 will close its doors for the last time at close of trading on Saturday(27).
River Island next door shut for good on Friday(19) as part of a restructuring scheme which will result in the closure of 33 stores and rents reduced for another 71 branches.
It is understood that some M&S store staff have been offered roles elsewhere. Meanwhile bosses said the chain was keen to maintain a presence in Wolverhampton by working to identify suitable locations for a new food store.
A spokesperson for Wolverhampton Council said: “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."
