Marks & Spencer has announced the closure of 11 cafes in its smaller food stores as part of an ongoing revamp of its retail locations. The company revealed that the decision to shut down the cafes is aimed at making room for more popular products while ensuring that no jobs will be lost, as affected staff will be reassigned within the stores. These closures will impact less than 4% of the total 316 food shops operated by the company.
A spokesperson for M&S stated that the move is part of their strategy to modernize the food business and offer a wider range of M&S Food products to a larger customer base. As part of this effort, the company is investing in its store estate to expand the product offerings, including the introduction of new coffee shops serving high-quality food and fairtrade coffee, such as at the new Bristol Cabot Circus store.
In alignment with a broader £300 million investment and store transformation initiative, M&S is focusing on expanding its food halls. This initiative involves converting some full-line stores into food-focused outlets and upgrading existing food-only stores to enhance customer service and cater to more patrons.
The company aims to increase its number of food stores to approximately 420 by the end of 2028 as part of its recovery plan following a significant cyberattack earlier in the year. The cyber incident, which cost M&S around £300 million, resulted in the temporary suspension of online orders for six weeks. The retailer is actively working to strengthen its cybersecurity measures to prevent future breaches.
Moreover, the retail sector in the UK has witnessed a rise in ransomware attacks, with attempts on retailers increasing notably in recent months. The public sector, particularly higher education institutions, the NHS, local government, and the Ministry of Defence, remains the most targeted sectors for cyber threats according to security experts. The surge in attacks underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures across industries to safeguard sensitive data and operations.