Aberdeen pensioners say the closure of the city centre Marks & Spencer store will leave them out in the cold.
The flagship shop at St Nicholas Square will shut next year amid plans to plough £15 million into expanding the Union Square branch.
Retail bosses say that once the refurbishment is completed, the new store will be the fourth biggest and “one of the best” in Scotland.
It comes after a string of closures across the UK and years of speculations over the future of the Aberdeen city centre branch.
And while some shoppers welcomed the move, others accused the company of making shopping trips trickier for elderly and disabled people in the Granite City.
Elderly and disabled to bear the brunt of Marks & Spencer closure
Rosemary Paterson fears some older folk, who are used to being dropped off at a bus stop next to the flagship M&S, won’t be able to make it down to the Union Square branch.
The 77-year-old warned that the closure might force many to even ditch the brand as a whole.
She said: “If you are elderly, disabled, pushing a prom or a wheelchair, how are you supposed to get to Union Square when the bus stop is on Union Street.
“I’m OK for now, because I still have a car. But eventually, I won’t have that as an option and will be entirely reliant on public transport.
“I can’t get there by bus, so my only option would be to just shop somewhere else.”
‘It will be sorely missed’
As a life-long M&S shopper, Rosemary says the city centre store has become part of her weekly “socialising routine” when she goes out to meet friends and do her shopping.
But once the doors shut, she would have “no reason to go past the Music Hall anymore”.
Rosemary reckons the growth of out-of-town retail has played a big part in the demise of the city centre, with more businesses opting out from the high street.
However, this has left shoppers who prefer to do things the traditional way with nothing.
“The city is just gone,” she sighed.
“They want people to come to the city centre but there is nothing here for us.
“It’s come to a point where I’d rather get a car and go to Banchory or Inverurie.”
Murriel Corbett echoed her words, also warning that the Union Square branch is not easily accessible for those without a car.
The 84-year-old added: “It will definitely be a massive change for the city centre, and it will be sorely missed.
“I’ve used it regularly for years, because it’s near a bus stop and it’s good for me.
“The one in Union Square is impossible to get to.
“I probably just wouldn’t come into the city centre anymore, and use the M&S in Westhill if really needed.”
What’s more important for Marks and Spencer customers – size or location?
For 41-year-old Elena Ciobanu, who lives near the city centre branch, location is also everything.
She and her three-year-old son Maxim were heading there for their daily shopping when we broke the news of the closure to her.
“It’s shocking,” Elena said.
“Once this store closes, there will be nothing left in the city centre.
“And I get that they are closing this one to expand the other, but I don’t care how big the store is – I care where it is.
“And the M&S here is just accessible for me, that’s why I come here every day.”
Elena added: “At the end of the day, the company is surviving because of us [the customers] – so shouldn’t our opinion matter too?
“I don’t understand how such decisions are done without actually talking to the customers.
“We will adapt, of course, but I just don’t want it to close.”
‘This would be the last nail in the coffin for our struggling city centre’
Meanwhile, the M&S store has been Robert Thom’s go-to when he prepares for a special occasion or wants a good meal.
He welcomed the expansion of the Union Square branch, saying it’s nice to see such investment in Aberdeen amid a tsunami of closures in recent years.
However, the 53-year-old thinks that this would also pose yet more problems for Aberdeen’s already struggling city centre.
He said: “The city centre is dying a death and this is just going to add to it.
“It’s shocking, really. I would come on a Saturday morning when you’d expect it to be heaving with people – and it’s just empty.
“The closure of the Marks and Spencer store will be the last nail in the coffin of the demise of Aberdeen city centre.”
Could revamped Marks and Spencer store replace shut John Lewis?
Unlike Elena, Robert wasn’t surprised M&S bosses chose the Union Square store over the one in the city centre.
And he reckons that many people will be happy about the expansion, as the shop is more accessible for drivers.
Rob Craig also welcomed the idea, saying Aberdeen is in desperate need of a better department store following the closure of John Lewis and Debenhams.
The 51-year-old said: “It can’t be a good thing for the city centre when it comes to driving footfall, but I do welcome the idea of expanding the other one.
“We come to M&S mainly for food shopping so if the other really is made to be the fourth biggest store in the country, it will be great.
“Now that John Lewis is gone, we do need bigger store offering more variety.”
Union Square shoppers react
A short walk away at Union Square, we meet Pamela Goddard.
The 64-year-old may have been doing her shopping at the mall, but told us she was “devastated” to learn of the closure of its predecessor.
Pamela said: “That one is better… It’s always been there, everybody knows it and everybody goes there.
“I realise Union Square is more accessible by car, but I would rather park here and then walk up to the St Nicholas Square branch.”
‘I like having options’
Meanwhile Andrew Whitehouse, 50, shops at both stores and will be sad to see the other branch go.
He said: “For me, it would be frustrating to lose that flexibility with one of the stores gone.
“I like having both because I can go wherever is more convenient.
“Maybe if the Union Square one is bigger and has more options it would be a good thing. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
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