It has been one of Bristol’s best-loved stores for 70 years, but Marks and Spencer in Broadmead is closing for the last time today.
The popular M&S store has been part of Bristol’s shopping district since 1952, the branch selling everything from clothing and housewares to food and flowers.
The decision to close the Broadmead store after 70 years was driven in large part by changing consumer habits in the retail industry, which has seen a major shift towards online shopping in recent years.
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The closure is part of a larger restructuring of UK real estate by M&S, which has 17 other stores in the South West, including Cribbs Causeway and Longwell Green.
While not fully owning the property, it is understood that M&S ​​has a financial interest in the Broadmead building and will work with Bristol City Council on plans for its future redevelopment.
The closure of such a historic store leaves another big void in Broadmead’s retail offering.
The future of the Broadmead M&S building is unclear at this time and, with the nearby empty Debenhams store, which closed last year, there has been no confirmation of a new buyer.
The former six-story Debenhams store closed in May 2021, ending nearly 50 years in the city for the chain.
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It was one of 50 Debenhams stores across the UK to close after the chain took over.
There is no update on a buyer for the Debenhams building, or if it will remain as a single store or split into a mix of recreation and accommodation.
In Leeds, the former Debenhams store is given a new lease of life as it transforms into a mixed-use development with a combination of studio and retail space.
When the closure of the M&S Broadmead store was announced at the end of 2021, M&S Regional Manager John Dorrington said: Brilliant shopping experience.
“We appreciate that this will be disappointing news for some, and we would like to thank all of our customers who have shopped with us in the store. We will work hard to continue serving them in our 17 stores in the South West, including Cribbs Causeway and Longwell Green.
“The vast majority of colleagues will join our surrounding stores in the region. I would like to thank both our colleagues and our customers for their service and support.
M&S will continue to invest in its Cribbs Causeway store, which is regularly used as a test site to test new digital services, such as contactless, click and collect and returns, before rolling them out across the UK. .
In May 2021, M&S announced proposals to close 30 more stores over the next decade as part of turnaround plans.
It followed an announcement in 2020 confirming that 7,000 jobs would be cut in its UK stores and in management, although around a tenth of the jobs lost were voluntary layoffs and early retirements.
The majority of the staff at the Broadmead store would have been offered work in other M&S stores in the city.
The company recorded a pre-tax loss of £ 201.2million for the year ended March 27, 2021, compared to £ 67.2million the previous year.
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