Residents let down by M&S closure
Residents at Fulham’s upmarket development Imperial Wharf have been shocked to discover that Marks & Spencer is closing its Simply Food store - just a year after opening it.
People living at the isolated riverside development had waited for years before M & S finally opened the store in February last year.
Says Chris Littmoden of the Imperial Wharf East Residents’ Association: “ We are deeply disappointed about the proposed closure of M&S.
“ Like the impending opening of a railway station, the availability of an M&S store was a major part of the sales pitch from the developer St. George. Having moved into Imperial Wharf partially on the basis of having an M&S store, having to wait for six years for it to open and then find that the store will close within a year of its opening is both sad and highly inconvenient.”
The store is one of 27 Marks and Spencer branches across the country shutting up shop because of falling sales and the company claims it had no other option. Steve Rowe, M & S Director of Retail says: “We have consulted fully with staff at the Imperial Wharf Simply Food store, listening carefully to both their views and suggestions, as well as those of the local community.
“ All issues raised throughout the process were fully considered, but as no proposed alternatives to the store closure have been found to be commercially viable,
it was necessary to make this difficult decision.”
February 9, 2009