Marks and Spencer stores in Brighton and Shoreham are safe for now as the retailer announced another round of branch closures yesterday (Tuesday 15 January).
A thousand jobs were reported to be at risk as new cuts were made in the drive to switch from “bricks to clicks”, with the company trying to drive more sales online.
Seventeen stores are to close, according to the latest announcement.
Previously the company had identified 38 branches, with 30 of those already now shut.
In all, 100 stores are expected to go although the branches in Western Road, Brighton, and at Holmbush, in Shoreham, are believed to be among the chain’s more profitable outlets.
M&S said that it would enter a period of consultation with affected staff and intended to redeploy as many as possible.
The company said that 1,891 workers had been affected by the closures so far but 1,591 of them – or more than 80 per cent – had been been found alternative roles.
Sacha Berendji, the retail, operations and property director at Marks and Spencer, said: “We’re continuing to transform M&S with pace and as part of this we are making good progress with our plans to close over 100 stores – radically reshaping our store estate to become more relevant for our customers.
“Proposing to close stores is never easy for our colleagues, customers or the local community but it is vital for the future of M&S.
“Where we have closed stores, we are continuing to see an encouraging number of customers choosing other nearby locations and shopping on M&S.com.”
The business aims to generate a third of its sales online by 2022.
