The store has been a mainstay of Swansea city centre for decades, but M&S has confirmed it will close later this year with 92 jobs now at risk
People have been horrified to hear Swansea is set to lose one of its best known stores after M&S confirmed it will close its Oxford Street branch next year.
The Marks and Spencer store, a long standing fixture in the heart of the city centre, has struggled financially and will shut following what the company has described as sustained underperformance. Around 92 staff were told of the decision on Tuesday, February 24.
A consultation is now underway to explore possible roles at other M&S locations, with no confirmation yet on redundancies. The exact closing date has not been set but is expected in 2026. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Richard Owen, M&S regional manager, said changing shopping habits and a nationwide store rotation programme were behind the move.
He added that the building faced operational challenges requiring significant investment and that the business needed to focus on long term growth. While acknowledging the store’s decades long presence in Swansea, he said it was no longer viable in its current form.
M&S has not ruled out opening a new full line store elsewhere in the city and said it would continue serving customers through nearby branches and online while it searched for a suitable site. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here
Swansea Council described the news as extremely disappointing for staff and shoppers. A spokesperson said the authority had spent years trying to keep M&S in its current location and would continue working to secure a new site in the city centre.
It stressed that the decision formed part of M&S’s wider national strategy, which had seen around 90 historic stores close, and was not a reflection on Swansea as a retail destination.
The closure is likely to reignite concerns about the health of Swansea’s high street, given the size and prominence of the M&S site in the city’s main shopping area.
Commenter Wjohnthomas1 said: “This is the final demise of Swansea City Centre – Debenhams gone, Mark & Spencer going. Swansea used to be the place to go shopping, not any more, it has to be Cardiff from now on.”
Jazza replied: “Retailers, like any business, have to look hard at the numbers. Rising operating costs, including recent tax increases, inevitably shape long term decisions, not just for this year but years ahead. M&S is a major company and will have analysed the data carefully. If clothing and homeware were underperforming while groceries were stronger in Neath, the decision speaks for itself. From a business perspective, it is simply following demand.”
Jonah17 thought: “This is sad news and will affect footfall in Swansea city centre. However, not really unexpected as the majority of shoppers, of a certain age, are now not travelling into Swansea to shop.”
Micky5 suggested: “The retail section has been looking run down in this store for years. The food hall is always busy so maybe M and S should consider opening a larger more upscale version of this somewhere in the city?”
Kiribati replied: “Sad to see it go. M&S and Next seem to have a preference for relocating to out-of-town retail parks these days where they can provide customers with large free parking areas and have longer opening hours. Next has taken the prime spot at Morfa Park. M&S had a clothes store in Fforestfach, but it closed. So the chances of M & S opening a full store again in Swansea are very slim.”
Swanseye commented: “What Swansea needs is more shops, not the loss of another flagship store. There seems to be more focus on student flats than on attracting shoppers back into the city centre, and it is starting to feel increasingly empty. We have a fantastic foreshore and a historic market that sits at the heart of the community, but if we continue to lose long established stores, we risk hollowing out the city altogether.”
Toast77 wrote: “This is a disgraceful decision by M&S. For many of us it is the go to store, and Swansea city centre is unique. It is not ringed by retail parks and industrial estates but by homes. People, including a large student population, live nearby and walk or cycle in, which is the greenest way to shop. As Wales’ second largest city, Swansea deserves better. M&S should reverse this and keep a full range store in the city centre, not move to a retail park.
“M&S claim the store has underperformed, but a glance at the women’s section recently might explain why. It was dominated by dull beiges, greys and winter whites. A year ago my husband tried to buy a suit there and was told none were in stock. It feels as though the store has been allowed to decline to justify this strategy. This store is worth fighting for. I hope Rob and the council do everything possible to secure another city centre site for M&S.”
Mumblesman agreed: “Perhaps if M&S had invested a little in its Swansea store in recent years making it rather more appealing to the everyday shopper, more customers might have passed through its doors. As it is, it’s looked and felt like a bit of an afterthought to be Mark’s main offering. Dowdy at best, third rate at worst.”
Can Swansea afford to lose another major name from Oxford Street? Have your say in our comments section.