Marks and Spencer to close store within Darlington WHSmith

The popular brand - which currently operates a Simply Food section within WHSmith - is set to stop its offering in the town later this year. 

This means that, as of 2025, the only remaining Marks and Spencer in Darlington will be its Simply Food outlet at West Park, just off West Auckland Road. 

No reasoning behind the decision to close the M&S store has been provided, with a spokesperson for the firm saying it reviews its offer in franchise stores "to ensure we have the right products for our customers in the right space at the right time". 

The stationary retailer added that it also "regularly reviews ranges in stores" - with an exact closing date for the offering not yet known. 

The Marks and Spencer Simply Food store in WHSmith in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

M&S has been based in the WHSmith branch since 2019, when the store re-opened following a major refurbishment.

It opened alongside a new Post Office, located at the rear of the store, which had moved following the closure of its former Crown Street site.

Since then, the firm has offered a variety of food and drink items including deli produce, sweet treats, meal deals, bakery items, and fresh flowers. 

At the time, the grab-and-go range brought M&S back to the centre of the town following the controversial decision to close its full store on Northgate in 2018. 

This was branded the "end of an era" - with shoppers branding the closure as "disappointing" and raising fears over footfall in the new out-of-town location.

An M&S spokesperson said: "We review our offer in franchise stores to ensure we have the right products for our customers in the right space at the right time, and while our small range in WHSmith's Darlington store will come to end this year, customers can find a wider range of M&S Food at Darlington West Park Simply Food store."

Recommended reading:

• Hooters restaurant plans for Bigg Market in Newcastle
• Hygiene report released for LA Pizza takeaway, in Durham

• Bells Fish and Chips in County Durham in UK's top 5

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Click here.

A WHSmith spokesperson added: "We regularly review our ranges in stores and the M&S offer in our Darlington store will come to an end this year.

"We always look to have a broad range of products in our stores and we look forward to bringing a new range to our customers locally. 

"We continue to work with M&S as a long-standing franchise partner offering a range of high-quality products in a number of locations across the UK.”