Bosses of M&S have remained tight-lipped on the future of their Aberdeen stores amid concerns they may be facing closure.
North-east MSP Liam Kerr sought a meeting with the company to voice residents’ concerns about the prospect of the M&S branch on St Nicholas Street.
It comes after M&S announced in May last year that it would close 30 stores and “restructure” around 70 others after recording huge losses over the last financial year.
The company’s Sauchiehall Street branch in Glasgow closed in April, sparking concerns the Aberdeen’s store on St Nicholas Street could soon share the same fate.
This could mean yet another severe blow to the Granite City’s city centre, following the recent closures of Debenhams and John Lewis.
Possible closure of M&S branch ‘unthinkable’
Mr Kerr said: “I sought a meeting with M&S following concerns from constituents about the future of our St Nicholas Street branch after news that similar-sized stores such as Sauchiehall Street were closing elsewhere in Scotland.
“The news about John Lewis and Debenhams rocked Aberdeen and we can’t allow a domino effect to happen on our high street.
“St Nicholas Street has been the home of M&S since 1944 making it one of Aberdeen’s longest serving retailers – it forms the heartbeat of our city centre which is why the possibility of it closing would be unthinkable.
“There are exciting plans for a new Aberdeen Market close by in what will be a transformational period for our city centre and it’s important M&S remains part of that.”
An M&S spokeswoman said: “We have no current announcements to make relating to our Aberdeen stores. When we do make changes, our colleagues are always the first to know.”
