Get you up to speed: Comprehensive list of all 14 M&S cafes shutting down across the UK
MARKS & SPENCER CAFE CLOSURES
Marks & Spencer is closing 14 in-store cafés to expand its food selection, with no job losses as staff are relocated.
CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT
Marks & Spencer’s spokesperson confirmed plans for closures as part of a £300 million investment aimed at modernising its food offerings by expanding product selection.
M&S CLOSURES
Marks & Spencer is currently transitioning its food halls to increase product variety, with 14 cafés closed to facilitate this initiative and no job losses reported.
What we know so far
Marks & Spencer (M&S) is closing over a dozen of its in-store cafés.
The high street giant is in the process of closing 14 of its cafes in its food-hall stores to expand its food selection and make space for more products.
No jobs will be lost, with staff being moved elsewhere.
The retailer operates more than 300 cafés, coffee shops and coffee-to-go kiosks, with the closings impacting just 4% of its 316 food locations.
The 14 M&S Cafes that are being shut down are:
- Anlaby, East Riding of Yorkshire (Already closed)
- Bidston Moss
- Bishop Auckland
- Canterbury, Kent
- Congleton, Cheshire
- Crawley, West Sussex
- Dunblane, Stirling, Scotland
- Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
- Martlesham Heath, Ipswich
- Sittingbourne Retail Park
- South Aylesford, Kent
- Stone, Staffordshire
- Strood Retail Park, Kent
- Whitstable, Kent
The cafe shutdowns come after M&S confirmed the closure of its Swansea branch earlier this week, after suggesting that it had been underperforming.
No closure date has been officially confirmed, but it’s expected to close its doors later this year.
Meanwhile, the UK high street has seen a further string of closures over the last month. GAME closed the remainder of its standalone shops and Revolution Bars confirmed it’ll be closing 21 venues after going bust.
Poundland also continued its shop closures throughout February 2026, along with River Island.
More fresh produce and meal options will instead be offered in the stores as the shuttered cafes are ‘re-purposed’, M&S told Metro last October.
This is all part of an £300million investment to increase the number of M&S food halls to 420 by the end of 2028.
A spokesperson added: ‘As we look to modernise our food business and offer the best of M&S Food to more people, more often, we’re investing in our store estate to give our customers the widest possible product range.
‘This includes opening brand-new coffee shops offering delicious food and barista-made fairtrade coffee, including at our brand-new Bristol Cabot Circus store.’
Emily Keogh, the founder of the PR agency Palm, said the closures, while small, reflect how shoppers want ‘experiences’ over pit stops.
‘The traditional in-store café was functional – a place to pause during a shop – but as so much retail has moved online, people are browsing less in-store,’ she told Metro.
‘This means every choice they make about hospitality brands when shopping is now less functional and far more considered, aligning with the broader change in consumer mindset when it comes to physical shopping.’
Paul McHugh, the head of sales EMEA at the telecommunications firm Ericsson, told Metro that many shops are moving away from cafés to more technological experiences, such as augmented reality, which allows shoppers to ‘try on’ clothing without going to a changing room.
‘Unfortunately, many retailers are struggling to effectively deploy these technology solutions due to connectivity issues,’ he warned.
It comes after M&S was disrupted by a cyber attack last year that saw hackers take some customer data.
Online orders and Click & Collect services were suspended for nearly two months, while food deliveries were interrupted.
The retailer said the attack would cost it about £300million, though insurance will cover some of the fallout.