M&S closes 11 cafes in its stores: what is known about the reasons.

Closure of Marks & Spencer cafes

According to The Sun: The company Marks & Spencer is closing 11 cafes in its smaller food stores as part of the reform of its range.

The retail giant announced on Monday that this closure is aimed at making room for more popular products.

However, company representatives assured that no jobs will be lost, as affected workers will be able to retain their positions in the stores.

The closures will affect less than 4% of the 316 food stores of the company.

A representative of M&S noted:

“As we strive to modernize our food business and offer the best of M&S Food to a greater number of people, we are investing in our store network to provide our customers with the widest possible range of products.

“This involves opening new cafes that will offer delicious dishes and Fairtrade coffee, including our new store in Bristol, Cabot Circus.

“In some of our smaller food stores, where customers are seeking a greater variety of M&S Food, our transformation also includes repurposing cafes in 11 small food stores, among more than 300 cafes, coffee shops, and coffee points of M&S.”

This change is part of a larger investment and store rotation program worth £300 million, which will significantly increase the number of M&S food halls.

The company has already converted several large stores into food stores, while other stores are receiving investments to modernize operations and enhance the range of services offered.

M&S plans to expand to around 420 stores by the end of 2028.

These changes come against the backdrop of the company's recovery after a serious cyber attack in April, which resulted in a six-week halt of online orders.

The company informed investors that the hacker attack, first confirmed on Easter Sunday, will cost M&S approximately £300 million.

The closure of cafes is part of M&S's strategy, which aims to adapt to new market conditions and respond to consumer demands. By implementing such changes, the company emphasizes expanding its product range, allowing it to remain competitive in the retail sector. The expansion of the network and investments in store modernization reflect the intention to evolve and respond to contemporary challenges in retail.