M&s Store Closing Swansea: Oxford Street Flagship to Shut in Hammer Blow for City
The announcement of the m&s store closing swansea marks a major change for the city centre: the Oxford Street full-line store will shut later this year after a prolonged period of underperformance, with around 92 staff notified of the decision on Tuesday morning, February 24. An internal consultation on potential redeployment at nearby sites has begun and an exact closing date is not finalised, though closure is expected later in 2026.
M&s Store Closing Swansea — what has been announced
The decision targets the Oxford Street branch in the heart of Swansea’s main shopping thoroughfare. M&S has said the building faces practical and operational issues requiring significant investment and that the store has underperformed over a long period. The retailer highlighted changing customer shopping habits and cited a UK-wide store rotation programme as the strategic backdrop for adapting its estate to ensure the right stores and space for long-term growth.
Staff, jobs and the consultation process
The store currently employs around 92 staff, all of whom were informed of the planned closure on February 24. A consultation will now take place to explore potential future roles at other M&S sites, with the company not confirming redundancies at this stage. Company messages stress that supporting colleagues through consultation and finding alternative roles at nearby stores wherever possible are priorities.
Why the Oxford Street store is closing
M&S has framed the decision as a combination of long-term underperformance at the site and the condition of the building, which would require major investment to remain viable. The retailer has also described the move as part of a broader rotation plan: in its stated strategy it intends to reduce full-line stores from 247 to 180 by 2028 while increasing the food-only estate from around 330 to 420. Separately, the business has identified 500 target locations nationwide for new food stores, including 20 sites in Wales.
Impact across south Wales and nearby stores
Reassurance has been given that M&S stores in Gwent and west Wales are not affected by this latest closure plan. In west Wales, the Haverfordwest store at Withybush Retail Park and the Carmarthen town centre branch remain fully operational with no planned changes. Historical context in the region includes a full-line store and food hall closure in Cwmbran in May 2019 and the shuttering of a smaller M&S Food unit inside the WH Smith store in Cwmbran town centre in September 2025.
Local reaction, city centre concerns and next steps
The news has been described in local headlines as a hammer blow to the city and a final nail in the coffin for a flagship that has been part of Swansea’s retail fabric for more than 100 years. Swansea Council expressed disappointment, calling the announcement extremely disappointing for staff and shoppers. The council noted that M&S confirmed the current building and location is no longer suitable for their business model, a model that has already seen 90 historic locations close alongside investment in new store locations. The council says it spent several years actively working to prevent the closure at this site and will continue working in the coming weeks and months to seek a new site that meets M&S’s needs and keeps a full-line store in the city. M&S has said it recognises the significant Swansea regeneration under way and remains committed to exploring options for an alternative store location in the city. The council added that M&S has been clear the decision is not a reflection on Swansea as a retail destination but forms part of a wider national strategy; the remainder of the council’s final comment is unclear in the provided context.
Expansion plans, target locations and what it means for shoppers
Despite the Oxford Street closure plan, the retailer has signalled ongoing investment plans across the UK and in Wales, identifying towns earmarked for potential new large-format food halls including Abergavenny, Caerphilly, Chepstow, Cwmbran, Monmouth and Penarth. The company emphasises that the target list does not mean there will be changes to existing stores in those locations. For Swansea residents and shoppers, the immediate focus will be the consultation outcome, the fate of about 92 jobs and the company’s search for a suitable future full-line M&S store in the city, while the retailer continues to serve customers through other nearby stores and online channels. The m&s store closing swansea remains subject to evolving consultation and planning, and exact timings are yet to be finalised.
