M&S store in heart of Colchester to close after nearly 100 years and relocate to 'out of town' site

A retailer which has been at the heart of Colchester town centre for nearly 100 years is set to close its doors and relocate to new premises.

Marks and Spencer, located in the High Street, will shut later this year as part of expansion plans which will see a bigger store open at the Stane Retail Park near the A12 on the outskirts of town.

The store first opened in 1931, and the move will bring to an end more than 90 years of history.

The town's former MP and Mayor, Sir Bob Russell, believes the closure will be a serious blow to the area and is concerned about the knock-on effect for other shops in the town.

He said: "Those who have made this decision have no corporate responsibility, no social conscience. Top mandarins at M&S have shown total disrespect to their loyal customers and their staff."

M&S said that all staff currently working in the town centre store will be transferred to the new site, and it expects to create some new jobs as well.

Andrew Icke, Regional Manager for M&S, said: "Shopping habits are changing, so we're rotating our store estate to make sure we have the right stores for our customers.

"We appreciate the current store closure may be disappointing news for some, but we believe this is the right decision to invest in a new store for the local area."