M&S to close two local stores
RETAILER Marks & Spencer is planning to close two local stores which employ more than 120 people.
But it has said there will be no redundancies as staff will be offered redeployment.
The company is to close its shop at The Fort shopping park in Birmingham and its Simply Food store on the Stratford Road in Shirley, Solihull.
Reports suggest 90 full- and part-time jobs are affected at The Fort and a further 38 jobs in Shirley. Declining sales have been blamed for the decision.
Closure dates for the two shops have not been confirmed.
It had been assumed that M&S would close its Shirley store when it opened another, larger, Simply Food outlet on the nearby Sears Retail Park in summer 2013 with the creation of 70 jobs but – until now – it has kept both stores open.
Other local M&S stores include Solihull town centre, Birmingham city centre and Sutton Coldfield.
The retailer is currently building its largest store in the area as part of the new Longbridge town centre development in Birmingham. It is expected this store will employ 350 people.
