VOTE: Over 3,000 shoppers sign petition to save Scunthorpe Marks & Spencer store
MORE than 3,000 shoppers are backing a major campaign to save the Scunthorpe branch of Marks and Spencer from closure after 72 years of trading.
Shoppers have flocked to sign an on-counter petition calling on the company's board of directors to rethink their decision.
-
A shopper signs a petition to keep the Scunthopre branch of Marks and Spencer open
The idea of the in-store protest was mooted at opening time last Friday by an 86-year-old who has been a shopper at the store for more than 50 years.
The pensioner, who asked not be identified, said: "We are not going to allow the closure of the store without a David v Goliath fight.
"It's a warm and secure place to go shopping and the staff are so friendly.
"We hope to have at least 5,000 names on the petition by the end of the week.
"Surely M&S will not turn a deaf ear to so many outcries. The company would lose its street credibility if it did."
Such is the severity of the proposed closure, council chiefs have secured talks with the company tomorrow.
M&S will be asked about what options are available and if the plan can be scrapped.
Mark Kirk, leader of the council, said: "We will be meeting with Marks & Spencer representatives tomorrow. We need to explain to them about the potential in North Lincolnshire.
"It's an area where there's going to be a real boom and it would be a shame for Marks & Spencer to miss out."
The petition will be sent off to London on August 2.
The closure plan blow comes as bosses at M&S confirmed the 36-staff at the High Street store are among the friendliest in the country.
A company spokesman said: "The store manager and her team have been recognised for their commitment to service this year."
M&S last week announced the planned closure of the Scunthorpe store along with other branches in Skegness, Grantham and Nuneaton, after stating it had been financially unviable for at least the past three years.
The company has declined to discuss the trading figures at the High Street branch, claiming they were "commercially sensitive".
The spokeswoman added: "The decision to propose the closure of the store was made by the company.
"It was not an individual decision and it is certainly not one that has been taken lightly."
23 Comments
View all
by sam, somewhere away from scum-thorpe
Sunday, August 01 2010, 8:58PM
“There aint no hope for scunthorpe, the whole town was constructed to house workers for the 20,000 men strong steel works, and assosicated businesses. Forgive me if im wrong here but the steel works now employs what? 2000 people?..... Scunthorpe will be another rundown little hole like all the other towns with failed industries, Old mining towns are a perfect example, The council has a tough job on there hands and i dont think there is anything they can do to stop it.”
by Louis Cypher, Wootton
Thursday, July 29 2010, 5:36PM
“What a dump.”
by kno it all, barton-upon-humber
Thursday, July 29 2010, 4:35PM
“Chris - Scunthorpe you got it about right! Like many contributors on here Capitan Kirk is living in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks they/he can change M&S's decision.
Its Kirk and the idiots in charge of NLC who are killing Scunthorpe”
by Dave, Ashby
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 9:02PM
“That's the problem though isn't it? A league football team is all we have left to boast about. When it comes to a busy, well-developed shopping centre we are thrashed by Hull, Lincoln, Meadowhall and yes, even Grimsby.”
by up the iron, cod head in non league footy
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 8:02PM
“just noticed cod heads comment. Jealousy is a very dangerous thing!! Enjoy playing pub football next year mate. I signed the petition and support m&s staying open. Hope it does some good. Better than doing nothing i suppose”
by ad, n lincs
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 5:20PM
“Perhaps if these 3k used the shop more regularly it wouldn't be closing?”
by Judas, Sunny Scunny
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 4:49PM
“Glad, Q.E.D?!”
by Chris, Scunthorpe
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 4:07PM
“I'm with the realists on here, no petition is going to make the slightest bit of difference to a company the size of M & S. It's called business, they live and die on profitability.
The petitioners would need to guarantee they would increase their future shopping in the store for it to have even a minor chance of success. It's never gonna happen, people are quite happy to jump on a petition bandwagon but if it came to costing them cash to keep it open, most would be happy to just let it go.
The council are only jumping on the bandwagon to save face, if they really cared about saving the town centre they should think about reducing the astronomically high rates charged to all town centre businesses. I see more of the same happening in the not too distance future unfortunately and the town centre will decline further to the benefit of the out of town retailers and their free parking.
But the rest of you can live in your cloud cuckoo lands if thats what keeps you happy!”
by Socialist Fool, Ashby
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 3:48PM
“I would love to sit in on this meeting to hear Cllr Kirk and his band of witless lefties attempt to explain where the next boom is coming from. Maybe the Telegraph petition should have been a plea to the council to stop "helping" town centre business, for the more they do to help the more they kill it. All business really needs is for government to stop strangling it.”
by Ron, Broughton
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 3:34PM
“Lotty, Crosby Shut up and get back to school.We have enough half-wits in Scum-thorpe as it is!”