Town Centre Shop Closure

30 July 2010 by Paul Rhoades

Terrible news this week about M&S planning to close down and pull out of the town. This combined with the closure of BHS will remove two more high street names from our local high street, though it is rumoured that the BHS building will be replaced by a Primark, which would be welcome news. I just hope that the town centre can stand the interim wait for the new retailer to move in. Local MPs Nic Dakin and Andrew Pearcy have joined forces with the leader of the council Mark Kirk to meet with senior M&S staff to discuss possible alternatives to the store closure. In the mean time the Evening Telegraph have written to M&S urging them to reconsider. A public petition has also been launched which has to date reportedly collected 3,000 signatures. I'd urge people to take the time to write to M&S Chief exec expressing their concerns about how it would change the make up of the town if M&S were to leave Scunthorpe. In writing addressed to: Sir Stuart Rose, Chairman Marc Bolland, Chief Executive Marks and Spencer Group plc Waterside House 35 North Wharf Road London W2 1NW by phone on: 020 7935 4422 by email on retailcustomer.services@marksandspencer.com

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[-]Comments hidden, click to expand. (1|0) By Hamst 2 years ago (1|0)Rated: Great!

One thing has struck me over the recent announcement that Mark Spencers MS plan to close their Scunthorpe store and that's the public outpouring of disapproval. Through the viewpoint page of the Scunthorpe Telegraph and by comments on related articles on their website I have seen daily the amount of criticism aimed at both MS and North Lincolshire Council NLC. It seems that criticism centres on MS for mainly catering for ladies of a certain age and above at their Scunthorpe store and not expanding their product range and appeal to the wider public like in other towns and cities. North Lincolnshire Council comming under fire for many things including backward planning, high carparking fees and the creation of 'out of town' retail parks. The local council leader along with the areas two MP's have been seen on local TV and in the Scunthorpe Telegraph vocing their concerns over MS's announcement, they have even met with officials from MS to inform them of planned developments for Scunthorpe and surrounding area that is hoped will attract more shoppers to the area. In January it was announced that British Home Stores BHS were to close their Scunthorpe store yet we never saw any of this public outpouring of disapproval, this was probably mitigated by the announcement that Primark were to take over the site. Surely more should have been done by our local leaders to make BHS remain in the town and persuade Primark to take up residency in the former Woolworths store. We see the two stores in other towns, at Meadow Hall they're side by side. In answer to my last question I suppose our local leaders respond to public concerns and with the announcement that BHS was to close with Primark taking over it was seen as bittersweet news and at least it wouldn't become another empty shop. Further up the High Street Blockbusters has closed down yet there has been very little said or reported about it, this is obviously down to peolpes preferences. Had we seen a pulic outcry over this would we have seen the same responce from our local leaders or is their responce over MS's closure because it's seen as a High Street institution having been there since 1932.

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Town Centre Shop Closure

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