I think M&S's goal in respect of its food retailing is to get a bigger share of the trolley shopping market, rather than the basket shopping market. Too many people pop in for a sandwich and not enough people do their big shop there. Their way to remedy that is to make sure their stores are within trolley wheeling distance of the car. Which is why town centre stores don't work for them any more.
it is, but M&S was always busy in town. I'm not sure the new foodhall will be as busy, the few times I've been past the one at Cortonwoid it's seemed quite empty.
M&S in town was always very quiet in recent years. I don't think the town centre foot fall figures will change much with no M&S.
As with lots of things, timing is everything. I've been in M&S at weekends and it's been heaving, but at other times it has been almost empty. Time will tell with the new location, but I for one won't be tackling it on a Saturday. An evening visit would suit me better.
Whilst it'll lose some custom in terms of clothing etc, it'll gain plenty more in terms of food shoppers. No parking near it meant folk - I imagine - very rarely did a big shop there. Just been in to this one & it's primed to take some footfall off Asda & Aldi. They're doing pretty well at the minute M&S and this makes a lot of sense.
I regularly walk past Cortonwood M&S/pop in in an evening (its a 10 minutes walk from home) - and while it isn't busy, it usually has a fair few shoppers in even at 7:30 - probably as many as Morrisons some evenings. On a weekend afternoon, its often rammed.
There's an M&S foodhall at the Springs in Leeds and that seems to be busy whenever we go there, i can fully understand their thinking in moving out of the town centre here.
Didn't go to the old one, won't go to the new one. I essentially despise all forms of bricks & mortar shopping.
