Leicester: M&S closure 'may be silver lining for indie stores'

Marks & Spencer could close its store in Gallowtree Gate

Shoppers and independent businesses have been reacting to the news that Marks & Spencer (M&S) plans to close its Leicester store.

The retailer confirmed on 1 May that it had made "the tough decision to propose to close" the Gallowtree Gate shop in Leicester.

Local leaders reacted with disappointment but said they were not surprised by the news.

They described it as "a good opportunity" for independent shops.

M&S regional manager Calum Telford said workers at the store would be offered alternative roles in the business "wherever possible".

He confirmed investment would be made into the nearby Fosse Park store, adding that shopping habits were changing.

Fina Hill says she comes into the city centre to use the buses and shop

However, some shoppers reacted to the news with disappointment, including Fina Hill, 27, who said she would not go out to Fosse Park, as the shops in the city centre were "better".

Maria Jalal, 21, on the other hand, said she came into the city centre "mainly for food, there's a lot of places to eat",

"I didn't see a lot of people go in [M&S] anyway, so I don't see the big deal of it closing down," she added.

Simon Jenner says there are "lots of great reasons" to visit the city centre

Simon Jenner, director of Leicester's Business Improvement District (BID), said the news from M&S was "disappointing but not surprising".

He said: "For independent businesses, this looks like a good opportunity. We've got a thriving independent sector, a really wide range of different businesses and there's a really strong food and drinks sector.

"There might be a silver lining to this particular cloud.

"For us, this doesn't look like the death of the high street."

Tracy Brewill wants to encourage more young people to use the city centre

Tracy Brewill, owner of Brides of Bond Street, said: "I think it's always helpful if you've got big stores to get people into town, but I think since Covid, a lot of people have just stopped coming into town, so certainly the older generation don't come in as much.

"What we need to do is encourage the younger generation to come in and maybe see what they're missing out on, because there's so much ordering online now and throwing things away and sending things back that just go into landfill.

"They can get what they want from the high street and independent stores and not have to pay a fortune for them."

Jennifer Ruddock, operations manager at Cocoa Amore in Silver Street, said: "In terms of footfall to the city centre, there might be a negative impact from M&S going.

"However, I do think for us as an independent in the city centre in close proximity to M&S, that might be one of the other places that you would shop for chocolate, so for our brand I think there is a potential that we might see an increased footfall that people will be driven towards the independent quarter to come and buy their chocolate here."

Sir Peter Soulsby described the news as "disappointing"

A petition was launched on Sunday to persiade M&S to stay open in Leicester city centre, describing it as "a precious store".

CIty mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "Well I'm obviously disappointed, but I don't think there's anybody who's seen the store over recent years who will be very surprised.

"Retailers do come and go. C&A, British Home Stores, Fenwicks. They've all moved on and their spaces have been filled with other retailers who wanted to invest in Leicester and to make sure retailing continues to prosper here.

"It's amazing how quickly, certainly in Leicester, sites do get taken up and we've seen a net growth in retailing in the city centre over recent years and I see no reason, despite this obviously disappointing news, why that shouldn't continue."