Glasgow Marks and Spencer store on Sauchiehall Street set to close for last time

The Marks and Spencer store that has been on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street for 87 years will close its doors for good this weekend.

Shutters will come down on the historic shop, which opened in 1935, for the last time at the close of business on Saturday.

The store was the first in Scotland to have a café and also had staff wearing co-ordinated uniforms, with dark dresses and starched white collars, for the first time.

It was also home to some of the most decorated M&S colleagues to serve in the forces during the Second World War.

And, following an 18-month refurbishment, it was reopened in August 1985 by Disney superstar Mickey Mouse

In January, the closure was announced in response to “changing” shopping habits in what was described as another blow in the street’s “collapse”.

Despite investment in recent years, with a redevelopment increasing space for pedestrians and cyclists, Sauchiehall Street has been plagued with large numbers of vacant units.

M&S assured staff that it had found alternative roles elsewhere for the majority of the store’s employees.

The area’s regional manager said the company was in discussions with a potential partner to take on the Art Deco site for “complementary” alternative use for the site.

In March, Marks and Spencer’s chief executive Steve Rowe announced he would stand down after six years in the role as the business enters the “second phase of its transformation”.

Rowe took charge during a turbulent period for the company which has seen more than 60 store closures and major changes to how it operates during his time.

The Sauchiehall Street store is the latest to go in the business’ transformation.

Confirming the closure in January, David Bates, M&S regional manager, said: “Shopping habits are changing, and this means we need to focus our investment on the right stores in the right places so we can provide the very best shopping experience for our Glasgow customers.

“This means we can invest in our twelve other Glasgow stores including nearby M&S Argyle Street – so we keep pace with the demands of our customers today and in the future.

“We’ve worked hard to find alternative roles with M&S for as many colleagues as possible and have achieved this for the majority of those affected.

“Our priority is supporting everyone through these changes. We would like to thank all our brilliant Sauchiehall St colleagues – past and present – and all our Glasgow customers who have shopped with us in this store.

“We want to make sure our existing site finds a complementary alternative use for the area, and we are in discussions with a potential partner. We will keep the community updated as these developments progress.”