The Marks and Spencer store on Birmingham High Street closed its doors this afternoon (Monday, November 6) as shoppers rushed to the store for one last time.
The shop, which covers four floors on the High Street premises, including a food hall, shut its doors at 4pm with the shop preparing to move to a smaller premises in the Bullring on the first two floors of where Debenhams was previously, with Toca Social - an interactive football dining experience and immersive gaming - above it.
The High Street store was still very busy on its final day of trading. The shop, of course, had less items than usual on its shelves - but many of the clothes were still being sold at full price. In the foodhall, the frozen items were reduced by 75% with the chilled items available for 30% less on the final day.
BirminghamWorld spoke to some shoppers on the High Street about the landmark store closing for the last time. Adrian said he had been shopping at the store for the last 25 years and was sad to see it leave the High Street.
“I’m not so mobile anymore so I don’t get into the city as much as I used to but I think it’s a shame,” he said. “I think the city centre looks quite run down to be honest. I always used to get my clothes from here and do my food shopping.”
Speaking about the closure, a shopper said: “It feels like parts of the city centre are falling away. This is being transferred into the Bullring, which on one hand is is good - but the High Street has become more dead looking, which is a bit sad. It feels like the magnetism of Birmingham is going down hill a bit.”
One shopper added: “It’s moving to Bullring but it’s not going to take up as many floors. It’s very sad.” Another shopper said: “It’s the end of an era. I’ve been shopping in Marks & Spencer on Birmingham city centre High Street for decades. It’s so sad that that the shop is closing down. I hope they find a good use for the building.”
There’s a lot of excitement about the new Bullring M&S, but no information has currently been announced about what the High Street M&S building will be used for once the retail company moves out. M&S closed its store in Solihull town centre to the dismay of many shoppers in 2021, and has moved to a bigger premises at Sears Retail Park.
Highlights in the new M&S store in the Bullring will include the food hall where customers will find fresh displays with produce from M&S Selected Farms, and a bigger than ever M&S Bakery offering freshly baked bread, cakes and pastries throughout the day. There will also be a dedicated M&S wine shop.
1. Many shoppers were eager to get into the High Street store one final time
2. One couple were sad to see the store go. They had been regulars at the store for a number of years
3. The store was been a major part of the city’s High Street for a number of years
4. The store was still busy with hundreds of customers going in and out of the store