"We have always had a Marks & Spencer here. It's very sad "| Business

A The Marks & Spencer branch is always a sign of pride for the country's main streets – often one of the largest and best-located stores in the city. But the rise of online stores and cheaper rivals like Primark, which are attracting younger buyers, means M & S is facing an existential threat with at least 100 stores closed as part of a reinvention plan.

On Tuesday, M & S revealed the locations of 17 other branches on the closing list, particularly in the cities where M & S has been operating for more than a century. "There is an emotional attachment to M & S," said Dan Simms of Colliers International, a real estate consulting firm, about the public's response to the closures.

"M & S was # 1 and the largest distributor in town and many people have always understood it," said Simms. "In some of these cities, it's the last big name … they've already lost BHS and House of Fraser, so they feel the consequences of losing their stores."

The Guardian has reviewed each of the 17 cities where M & S will soon be history, to see if it will be missed and why.

Antrim (the junction)
Open: 2004
The only outlet outlet on the list, M & S is one of the biggest names in retail park Junction, which, with a 10-screen cinema, is a "must-see destination for retail and entertainment" in Ireland North. Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Paul Michael, said he was disappointed by the closure and concerned about the inevitable layoffs. The shoe retailer Clarks also closed its store last year but the Junction owner, Lotus Property, insisted that the project had a bright future, with plans for a £ 30m revision and opening Nando this year.

Ashford, Kent
Open: 1934
The loss of a flagship tenant at Ashford's County Square Mall is a blow to the city of Kent. Selected as the pilot city of Portas after the 2011 adventure by Mary Gates, guru of the sale of television channels, Ashford was celebrated as an example of revitalization of retail and, although M & S will still have a Foodhall and a nearby retail outlet, its withdrawal could the number of buyers. "It's really sad," said Jo James, general manager of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce. "It will be a blow and will give people less reason to come downtown."

Wheelbarrow
Opened on: 1911
M & S has been present in the city of Cumbria for over a century and local MP John Woodbad has described his departure as a terrible news with the store "on which support thousands" of Local buyers: "I am really satisfied with the staff losing their jobs … I want to explore every possible way to change the company's opinion. "If it continues to advance, the nearest M & S clothing store will be within an hour's drive to Kendal, making it a shopping mission for the more adventurous.

Bedford
Open: 1906
The buyer Margaret Lowe was "horrified" by the closure of Marks & Spencer in downtown Bedford. Aged 75, he travels twice a week to the city two miles from town and usually uses the store. "Marks & Spencer is part of every city," Lowe said. "It's good value, the food is excellent and the staff always good. I come here for clothes too. I would buy sweaters, pants and t-shirts and I would buy all my underwear here. In the store, several older people collide.

Jessica Farmer, 30, said, "This is since my granddaughter. I came with my nan. I will certainly miss this and for the older generation, that's where they are comfortable. It's really sad. The store is in the middle of the main shopping street, a typical UK street with WH Smith, Boots, Waterstones, New Look, Debenhams, Primark, a large empty unit that once housed BHS, and other empty stores. Saffron Jarvis and Steph Radcliffe pbaded by, walking around the city late Thursday morning after their last theory test. "It will not be a big loss, but it was pretty good to have it there," Jarvis, 18, said. "Radcliffe, 17, was less worried:" If I were going to go shopping with my pals, I would go to Milton Keynes because there are more stores for my age.

Boston
Open on: 1914
"Boston is slowly dispossessed of the big retailers and we should have a voice!", Say the creators of a Facebook group called Save our Boston M & S. Like other provincial cities, Boston struggles to adapt to the changing habits of buyers. "The retail business is evolving at an unprecedented rate," said Richard Broadhead, general manager of a well-established local chain of department stores, Oldrids, at the Boston Standard. "We have been operating in Boston for over 200 years. However, the simple fact is that stores like ours will only exist if people support us by shopping locally. "

Buxton
Open: 1934
"We, the Buxtonians, have always had Marks & Spencer. It's very sad, "said Jean Bell, 77, leaving the Derbyshire store. Twenty-year-old Megan Middleton is only involved in the meal offerings, but she is also concerned that her closure will accelerate the decline of the pretty main street. Where specialty stores were once traded, charity shops opened. 46 year old badistant teacher Andrea Harris comes here regularly with her mother. The nearest shop is 20 km away. "I can not tell you how many times I said," I will meet you outside of M & S, "she said. "It's an inheritance. I went to school with the M & S uniform, and I still put my kids in the M & S uniform. "

Cwmbran
Opened in 1977
The M & S store in Ebbw Vale will close on Saturday and Cwmbran will be next, leaving the retailer with only 23 stores in Wales. Nick Thomas-Symonds, MP for Torfaen, and Lynne Neagle, AM, requested an urgent meeting with the company to discuss his decision to leave the Cwmbran shopping center, which has 170 stores. "It's a terrible news for the staff and the local community," they said in a joint statement.

treat
Open: 1937
More than 4,000 people have already signed a petition demanding that the Kent store be saved. The signatories strongly argue: "The case would be lost without M & S in the main street," Jenny Egelnick wrote. "There is a large elderly population unable to travel far, public transport is poor and M & S is meeting so many needs under one roof. Jane Francis said the store was still busy, adding, "Deal is a destination of choice for London's wealthy bohos, who will be horrified at not having a quality food store in their city. . Not to mention us, the inhabitants, who all love and benefit from it. People before profits. "

Felixstowe
Open: 1937
The inhabitants of this seaside town have also launched a petition "Save it". Suffolk Coastal Council Deputy Chief Geoff Holdcroft described Felixstowe as "growing". He pointed to the record number of visitors in 2018 and plans for several thousand new homes: "I hope this site of choice will be thrilled with a new long-term business."

Huddersfield
Opened on: 1894, relocated in 1934
"Has M & S gone crazy?" Asked Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman. "Huddersfield is a typical city in Britain and if they can not get it to work in a booming university town like Huddersfield, they have big problems." The MP told the Huddersfield examiner that he would argue for "strong arguments" in favor of keeping the store open. But close to Leeds, Huddersfield stores are struggling to compete. BHS has disappeared while the future of the House of Fraser and HMV are uncertain.

shell
Open: before 1900
After the city's success as a city of culture, M & S's decision to leave its historic Whitefriargate was described as devastating by Kathryn Shillito, the boss of her district's business improvement district. "There is a real sense of nostalgia around Whitefriargate and the M & S building in particular." The closure will ensure that the nearest large shopping center is across the Humber Bridge in Scunthorpe. Hull Daily Mail readers quickly expressed their point of view: "We need fewer retail businesses and more downtown housing," wrote one of them. Another added, "House of Fraser has been saved. Let's hope that M & S will see the light. "

Luton Arndale
Open since: 1906, moved in 2009
The closure of the M & S agency in Arndale will leave a big hole in a city already marked by empty stores. For Irene and Bill Saul, the news is a blow. "We are often here two or three times a week," said Irene, 71. "I'm a very loyal customer of Marks …", added Bill, 68, putting it in his place? It will be a horror. All empty stores. It's a shame for this big street, is not it? But Manisha Thakur, 22, who moved to Luton four years ago, was more optimistic. "I love this place, M & S is a bit expensive for me, the clothes are not good, but I like the cakes and I will miss them."

Newark
Open: 1933
Last year, M & S decided not to move to a larger store in a new local retail park. Now the downtown store is closing, forcing buyers to Lincoln. "We are adapting to the changing habits of our customers, which involves making tough decisions," said Paula Varley, M & S Area Manager for South Yorkshire and the Midlands of the United States. Is.

Northwich
Open: 1909
"I've been here since I was a boy," said 80-year-old Dennis Woodward before heading back to the grocery store. "If they close that, what will happen to it?", He added, pointing to the empty units of Barons Quay, a nearby commercial complex. Chester City Council plans to hold a meeting with the company to encourage it to stay, but not everyone will be sad to see M & S leave. "The problem with M & S is that it's kind of the store of an older generation," said Denise Bradley, 44. "Unless they get rid of this stigma, I guess it will always be like that."

Rotherham
Open: 1894, relocated 1934 and 2004
M & S moved downtown to a new department store located in a retail park, but is also leaving this location. Some locals say they prefer cheaper neighbors like Primark and Morrisons, but Steve Taylor, a 62-year-old pilot, will miss him: "It's sad. I always arrive after work to get some snatches – you build a bit of a rapport with the girls who go to the cashier. "

Sutton Coldfield
Opened on: 1932
City residents say closing the Gracechurch shopping center store would be a tragedy for a downtown area where the future of House of Fraser is also uncertain. "I am a staff member and I am heartbroken," said Sapna Kumari on Facebook. "We are all like family members at Sutton Marks." But some buyers offer a hard love: "If I were a director, I would not let him stay," wrote Alice Foley. "Car parking fees deter people, and opening hours are obsolete. I prefer one hundred percent Tamworth. "

Weston-super-Mare
Open: 1907, relocated in 1954
The seaside town was punched in 2015 when visitors gathered at Banksy's Dismaland and there is local optimism about regeneration, calling it Bristol's answer to Margate. Weston MP John Penrose insisted his "economic renaissance" was going well: "We can not let a single store – even one as well known as M & S – derail it."