Marks & Spencer’s buyout of Jaeger is expected to lead to the permanent closure of the fashion brand’s remaining stores, including the one in Harrogate.
M&S workers were seen this afternoon clearing stock from the Jaeger store on Cambridge Crescent and removing objects from the windows.
The future of the Harrogate store has been uncertain since November, when Jaeger and its sister company Peacocks went into administration.
Other brands have been in talks with Jaeger’s administrators for months but no deal had been reached.
The deal with M&S is still being finalised but is expected to include Jaeger’s intellectual property and not its 63 stores, leaving jobs at risk.
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M&S did not confirm, when questioned by the Stray Ferret, whether its deal would save Jaeger’s existing stores.
In a M&S statement, Richard Price, managing director of M&S clothing and home, said:
“We have set out our plans to sell complementary third party brands as part of our Never the Same Again programme to accelerate our transformation and turbocharge online growth.
“In line with this, we have bought the Jaeger brand and are in the final stages of agreeing the purchase of product and supporting marketing assets.
“We expect to fully complete later this month.”
M&S confirms opening date for Ripon food store
Marks and Spencer has announced that it will open the doors to its food store in Ripon next month.
The new shop will open for the first time at 10am on July 15 and has created around 60 jobs in the town. It will be open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, and on Sunday from 11am to 5pm.
It was originally due to open at the end of April but it was delayed because of coronavirus.
The M&S Food Store is part of the £10 million Saint Michael’s Retail Park development which was also delayed.
Ripon is currently served by four supermarkets – Aldi, Booths, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
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Store Manager, Paul Nicoll, has worked at M&S for 34 years and said he was looking forward to getting to know the local community:
“My team and I are really excited about our new store in Ripon. We’ll be working hard to provide outstanding service and help make every penny count for the community.”
What the food hall interior will look like.
As well as food, customers will also be able to shop for M&S’s full clothing and home collections through the click and collect service.
Mark Rothery, Managing Director of Rothstone Estates, said:
Marks & Spencer likely to open Ripon store in mid July“Announcing the opening date is a really exciting milestone in the project. I would like to thank the Ripon community for their support and continued patience as we work hard with all parties to deliver this great investment in the city.”
Marks & Spencer is likely to open its M&S Food store in Ripon in mid July, The Stray Ferret understands.
The M&S store, on Rotary Way, was originally due to open on April 29 but that was put on hold because of coronavirus.
It is part of the £10 million Saint Michael’s Retail Park development. A spokesperson for M&S said:
“We’re working hard to finish our Ripon store and as soon as we have more information on the opening we will update the community.”
The new store, located close to the Ripon bypass, was first granted planning permission by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017. It will provide up to 80 new jobs, including people who have been recruited locally.
Ripon is currently served by four supermarkets – Aldi, Booths, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
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German budget supermarket Lidl, which already has a store in Chain Lane, Knaresborough, has announced that it plans to open up to 89 new stores in Yorkshire and has Harrogate and Ripon on its list, saying:
The company, which is hoping to double the number of stores it has in the UK added, that it was looking for ‘prominent sites in town, district, edge of centre or out of town locations, ideally with main road frontage with easy access and strong pedestrian or traffic flow.’
“We want to double our portfolio. To continue our phenomenal growth we require further sites across the country.”
The proposed locations for Lidl stores in Ripon and Harrogate is not as yet known.