A REGIONAL Senedd member has criticised top management at M&S for refusing his invitation to visit Neath in the wake of their decision to close their store in the town.
Welsh Conservative Dr Altaf Hussain invited chairman Archie Norman to visit the store and meet its staff and customers for himself so that he could better understand the devastating impact closure would have on the community.
“I did not even get a personal reply from him, “he said. “I was told by Operations Director Sacha Berendji that he was replying as part of the executive team looking after store operations. The letter makes no reference to the invitation for top management to come in person to Neath which I think is very disappointing.
“The letter talks about declining sales over the past ten years but they must remember that this period has seen a pandemic, a cost of living crisis and an explosion in on-line shopping coinciding with many marketing and other errors made by the company itself which led to lots of customers going elsewhere. It would appear that shoppers in Neath are being penalised for the failings at the top of this company.
“I asked them to defer closure to allow local people the chance to prove that they valued M&S and to allow time for footfall and sales to improve.
“I am convinced that if people locally realised that the store was under threat, it would incentivise them to patronise it. It would appear that people are now tiring of on-line shopping and returning to in-person visits to shops with a number of companies reporting increased footfall.
“Given more time, I am sure this would have happened in Neath. But Neath residents will not be given a chance to save a shop that has been part of Neath’s retail offer for many decades.”
The letter states that M&S have looked at the potential cost of refurbishment which would be high for an older store like Neath. They also state that the store was not suitable for reconfiguring into a food hall and they were also not considering moving to a smaller unit in the town.
Dr Hussain added: “They talk about being committed to Wales and of investments they are making in Wrexham and Llandudno. Both of these towns are 200 miles away so that’s a fat lot of good for shoppers in Neath.
“The people of Neath have been loyal to this brand for generations but it has all been thrown back in their faces with this decision. All I have asked for is a stay of execution to see if trading figures improve but it would appear that the death sentence has been passed and there is to be no reprieve.”
Dr Hussain urged shoppers to patronise the other shops and businesses in Neath.
He said: “The Council has worked hard to regenerate the town centre with the new car park, swimming pool and library. People need to remember that, with our high streets, it is definitely a case of use it or lose it. The decision by M&S proves that. If we want thriving town centres we must support them or they will all become ghost towns.”