M&S food store closure costs 37 jobs in North

The Marks & Spencer Simply Food store in Newtownards is facing closure with the loss of 37 jobs, it was announced today.

The outlet in the Co Down town’s Ards Shopping Centre is among 27 stores the ailing High Street giant is axing along with over 1,200 jobs after announcing the biggest collapse in its sales in nine years.

M&S executive chairman Stuart Rose said he believed the company had looked at every available option and opportunity to keep the store open – but in the current tough trading environment it was no longer commercially viable.

He said: “We are very sadly putting forward this proposal to close the store and will listen carefully to any suggestions employees have for alternatives.”

He praised the “great team” at the outlet and thanked them for their commitment.

Rose added: “If this proposed closure goes ahead, we hope that our valued customers will continue to shop with M&S at one of our alternative local stores such as Bangor or Belfast.”

The Newtownards outlet only opened 18 months ago in what had been an Iceland store.

It was one of 28 Simply Food outlets opened in premises acquired on lease from Iceland Foods which included the Upper Newtownards in Belfast and Coleraine - both of which have survived the axe.

However another nine stores in Great Britain acquired as part of the same £38m (€41.8m) deal are also facing closure.

Simply Food outlets in Belfast’s Lisburn Road, and Boucher Road, Crescent Link in Londonderry, Lisburn’s Bow Street Mall and Armagh city centre all survive the axe.