One of Swindon’s most prominent stores remains empty a year on from the announcement it would be closing.

Staff at the Marks and Spencer store on Regent Street were told on Tuesday, August 15, 2023 that the 112-year-old shop was set to close.

Despite sadness and shock locally, M&S executives described it as a "store estate transformation", forming part of major plans to pool resources into fewer but better main stores with 67 stores set to close in the next five years.

In 2023, Neil Enoch, M&S Regional Manager, told the Advertiser: “Shopping habits are changing, so we’re rotating our store estate to make sure we have the right stores to offer customers a brilliant shopping experience.

"As part of this transformation, we have today announced to colleagues our proposal to close our M&S Swindon store at 81 Regent Street.”

This left just four M&S stores in the town - one in the Designer Outlet, one on Marlborough Road, the Mannington Retail Park store and another at the Orbital Shopping Park, which was given permission to expand earlier this year.

The store, owned by FI Real Estate Management, officially closed at 5pm on Saturday, October 28, 2023.  

Since then, the two-storey building has remained empty, despite being in a busy, central location opposite big names including Primark and WHSmith.

Many shoppers described the state of the town centre as going “downhill” once the landmark closure was announced, marking its decline after Frankie and Benny’s, Wilko, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Debenhams, and House of Fraser closed.

Jane Anning, 59, told the Advertiser: “I started working at the store in 1981, age 17, and I remember my first week's wage being £57.24. I thought I was rich.

“It’s so sad to see it go. I have very good memories of my seven years there.”

Last year, Deputy leader of Swindon Borough Council councillor Emma Bushell described the closure as a “huge blow to the town centre.”

She said: “Swindon has suffered in recent years with the closure of major high street chains, but it is a trend we have seen in many towns and cities across the country.

“Our job as a local authority is to do as much as we can to help stimulate investment in the town centre so that high street chains like M&S come back.”