M&s Store Closing Swansea: Oxford Street Flagship to Shut with 92 Jobs at Risk

The announcement of the M&s Store Closing Swansea marks a major retail shift for the city: the Oxford Street branch in the heart of the centre will close after a prolonged period of underperformance, with around 92 staff informed of the plan on the morning of Tuesday, February 24. The development matters because it affects jobs, central retail space and ongoing regeneration work.

M&s Store Closing Swansea — Immediate details

The store on Oxford Street, long one of the main draws for shoppers in the city centre, was confirmed as scheduled to shut later this year in initial coverage. An exact closing date has not been finalised; the closure is expected to be later in 2026. The company identified practical and operational issues with the building that would require significant investment and said the branch had been underperforming over a long period.

Impact on staff and consultation process (m&s store closing swansea)

About 92 employees at the Oxford Street location were told of the closure on Tuesday morning, February 24. A consultation has begun with staff to explore potential future roles at other nearby sites, and the company has not confirmed any redundancies at this stage. The stated priority is supporting colleagues through that consultation and finding alternative roles where possible.

Reasons given for the Oxford Street closure

Regional management highlighted changing customer shopping habits and a national store rotation programme as factors driving the decision. The building’s practical and operational issues, combined with a long period of underperformance at the site, were cited as making it not viable to remain open without significant investment. The company noted it has had a presence in the heart of Swansea for more than 100 years and has not ruled out opening at a different premises in the city in future.

Wider Wales picture and store rotation plans (m&s store closing swansea)

Retail activity in Gwent and west Wales is said to be unaffected by the latest closure plans. Specific west Wales sites named as remaining fully operational are the Haverfordwest store at Withybush Retail Park and the Carmarthen town centre branch, both with no planned changes. The Swansea announcement follows prior regional adjustments: a full-line store and food hall in Cwmbran was closed in May 2019, and a smaller food unit inside a town-centre retailer in Cwmbran shut in September 2025.

The retailer has also identified a long-term pipeline of potential new food stores nationwide, targeting 500 locations with 20 of those in Wales. Locations earmarked for potential large-format food halls include Abergavenny, Caerphilly, Chepstow, Cwmbran, Monmouth and Penarth. The company emphasised that inclusion on that target list does not mean existing stores in those locations will change. The wider store rotation programme aims to reduce the number of full-line stores from 247 to 180 by 2028 while increasing the food-only estate from around 330 to 420.

Local reaction, regeneration and next steps

Local council representatives expressed disappointment, calling the news extremely disappointing for staff and shoppers. The council noted that the current building and location are no longer suitable for the company’s business model, which has already seen 90 historic locations close alongside investment in new store locations. The council said it had spent several years working to prevent the closure, will continue efforts to seek a new site that meets the retailer’s needs, and that the retailer recognises the significant regeneration work under way in the city.

Management reiterated a commitment to explore options for an alternative full-line store location in the city while continuing to serve customers through other stores and online. The original coverage also included prompts for readers to sign up for a newsletter and for a premium trial. One local statement in the coverage was cut off and is unclear in the provided context.

These developments raise fresh doubts about high street trade in the city centre given the large retail footprint the Oxford Street site occupied. For now, the focus is on the staff consultation, the search for suitable alternative locations, and how the national rotation targets and local regeneration plans will interact in the months ahead.