M&S to shut flagship Oxford Street store if demolition refused
Retailer warns that key shopping street has ‘smell’ of ‘decline’
Marks & Spencer has threatened to close its flagship Oxford Street store if it is not allowed to demolish and rebuild it.
The high-street retailer, which has had a difficult few years, said it was “unsustainable” to continue trading in the current Orchard House site but the demolition plan has promoted fierce opposition and a public inquiry is under way. Opponents have “urged the company to refurbish the existing buildings at 458 Oxford Street, near Marble Arch, rather than replace them”, said the BBC.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage has raised concern over the 40,000 tonnes of embodied carbon that could be released by bulldozing the buildings. The group’s petition against the scheme has attracted nearly 5,000 signatures.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In opening statements to the inquiry, Russell Harris KC, representing M&S, insisted there was “no heritage reason” why the three buildings on the site should not be demolished. He added the retailer would “not be made to trade” in the current buildings and that “it would not invest further in the site if its plans were refused”, reported Retail Gazette.
He said a demolition would allow the retail chain to bring a “new flagship store of high architectural quality” to Oxford Street, which he described as currently “failing” and has “a smell, a tangible, unmistakable expression of decline”, warning “no other retailer” would take over the site.
However, a spokesperson for SAVE told the hearing the retailer’s “threat” to leave the site “if they don’t get their way” was “not the constructive attitude of a retailer committed to the future of Oxford Street”.
The outcome of the inquiry could have wider ramifications. With high streets around the country “needing redevelopment to suit modern demands while the climate crisis intensifies”, said The Guardian, the debate over whether troubled buildings should be refurbished or redeveloped will “only become more heated”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
NYC Mayor Adams' administration may be in big trouble
High-profile defections and ongoing federal scrutiny have called into question how — and even if — the mayor of New York City can continue to govern
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested on federal charges
Speed Read The hip-hop star was hit with sex trafficking and racketeering charges
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - September 17, 2024
Tuesday's cartoons - another assassination attempt, radical policies, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Fresh blow for Marks & Spencer as finance boss quits
Speed Read Humphrey Singer had been in the job for little more than a year
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Why M&S is about to drop out of FTSE 100
In Depth Struggling high-street stalwart loses its place among the UK’s top 100 companies
By James Ashford Published
-
Could M&S lose its high street crown?
Speed Read Retailer to shut 100 stores by 2022 after years of declining sales
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Poundland's Toblerone war: What are the best own-brand products?
In Depth Even better than the real thing? Here are six store products to put in your trolley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Marks & Spencer shares fall as sales dip across the board
In Depth Clothing decline slows, but like-for-like food sales drop into the red
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Sainsbury's sales rise but Lidl and Aldi 'win Christmas battle'
In Depth Supermarkets report record sales for the Christmas period, with winners at both ends of the market
By The Week Staff Published
-
Can best M&S results for two years save boss Marc Bolland?
In Depth 'Jekyll and Hyde' retailer buoyed by food sales but analysts warn that CEO's 'judgement day' will come
By The Week Staff Published