The Doughchess of Cambridge
Outrage as M&S names 17 more stores to close
LOOKS like the Duchess of Cambridge is on a roll here as she joins a group of schoolchildren to make pizza…
The 37-year-old was even asked by one pupil: “Has the Queen ever eaten pizza?” Kate replied: “That’s such a good question, I don’t know. Maybe next time I see her shall I ask?”
Kate chatted to pupils from St Jude and St Paul’s Primary School in Islington, North London, at a nearby community garden. Arriving in her trademark skinny jeans, it’s clear she doesn’t eat too much pizza herself. Making pizza with young lad yesterday MARKS & Spencer has been blasted after it named another 17 stores that are set to close, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk.
The proposed closures are part of plans to shut more than 100 branches by 2022.
M&S last week revealed another slump in sales and said it needed to “radically reshape” its branch network.
But bosses were criticised for the way the closures have been handled.
Locations of the stores to shut are being confirmed in waves.
David Gill, of union Usdaw, said it was “devastating” for employees. He said: “This piecemeal approach to reorganising
THE 17 ANNOUNCED TODAY ■ Ashford ■ Barrow ■ Bedford ■ Boston ■ Buxton ■ Cwmbran ■ Deal ■ Felixstowe ■ Huddersfield ■ Hull ■ Junction One Antrim Outlet ■ Luton Arndale ■ Newark ■ Northwich ■ Rotherham ■ Sutton Coldfield ■ Weston-super-Mare
■ Andover ■ Basildon ■ Birkenhead business is extremely distressing for staff.” Among the stores to close is the one in Hull, East Yorks, which has been in the city for more than 100 years. Hull West MP Emma Hardy called it “extremely disappointing”. The closures will be another blow to the battered high street. Sacha Berendji, of the WORRIED Emma Hardy
■ Bournemouth ■ Bridlington ■ Clacton ■ Covent Garden ■ Crewe (relocation) ■ Darlington ■ Dover ■ Durham ■ Falkirk ■ Fareham ■ Fforestfach ■ Greenock (relocation) ■ Keighley ■ Kettering ■ New Mersey Speke Shopping Park ■ Newmarket ■ Newry
(reloc.) ■ Northampton M&S, said: “Proposing to close stores is never easy, for our colleagues, customers or the local community, but it is vital for the future of M&S. Where we have closed stores, we are continuing to see an encouraging number of customers choosing other nearby locations and shopping on M&S.com.” There are 1,045 staff in the 17 stores but M&S said it hoped to minimise job losses by finding work in other branches. The closures come as M&S targets having a third of its sales from online by 2022.
Of the more than 100 branches to go, 30 are already shut, leaving just over 1,000 shops. ■ Portsmouth ■ Putney ■ Redditch
■ Slough ■ Stockport ■ Stockton
■ Walsall ■ Warrington ■ Wokingham THE 8 ALREADY SET TO GO ■ East Kilbride ■ Edgware Broadwalk
■ Falmouth ■ Holloway Road
■ Kirkcaldy ■ Llandudno (reloc.)
■ St Helens (reloc.) ■ Wigan (Foodhall opening at Robin Retail Park)