This 111-year-old Marks and Spencer is closing

You don’t need us to tell you that the high street is in shambles at the moment. Not only have we lost Fenwicks, The Body Shop and Big Topshop, now we must say farewell to another beloved London shopping spot. A 100-year-old Marks and Spencer store in south London is shutting down and going to the big high street in the sky. 

Marks and Spencer on Walworth Road will serve its last customer on Saturday June 8, after 111 years of trading. The store was opened during the Edwardian Era, 29 years after the first-ever Marks ‘n’ Sparks was founded in Leeds and one year before the start of World War I. Before that, the building was the Rutter Bros drapery store, although the current shopfront dates from the interwar period. 

‘We would like to thank all of our customers who have shopped in the store over the years, who we will keep serving up until closure and beyond that, from our other stores nearby and across London,’ said Gordon Scott, M&S regional manager. 

‘After consulting with our colleagues, we have informed them of the closure and our priority now is continuing individual discussions about what this decision means for them. Wherever possible, we will offer them alternative roles with M&S.’

In 2022, M&S announced plans to close 67 underperforming stores as part of a strategic overhaul. The controversial demolition of the Oxford Street flagship M&S is also part of the regeneration strategy, although the date of the knocking down hasn’t been announced yet. 

But it’s not all bad news. M&S is also opening a bunch of brand-new stores across the UK. Check out all the deets of those here.

ICYMI: Galvin at Windows will close the 28th-floor restaurant after 18 years.

And why is Olympia’s £1.3 billion redevelopment proving so controversial?

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.