Marks & Spencer will close cafés in 11 smaller food-hall stores as part of a retail estate overhaul designed to expand grocery ranges and modernise layouts.

The retailer said the decision reflects changing customer habits and a push to devote more space to convenience and premium food, while confirming that staff will be redeployed.

The Independent reported that the closures affect fewer than four per cent of M&S’s 316 food shops and form part of a wider £300 million investment programme focused on store rotation and refurbishments. An M&S spokesperson said: “As we look to modernise our food business and offer the best of M&S Food to more people, more often, we’re investing in our store estate to give our customers the widest possible product range.”

The spokesperson added that the company is opening new coffee shops alongside the grocery revamp, including at the Bristol Cabot Circus store, but will repurpose café space in 11 small food branches “where customers want a greater range of M&S Food.”

Retail Gazette reported that the move is part of a broader modernisation plan intended to maximise space for food retail and improve store efficiency. The publication said M&S’s “Foodhall-first” design approach prioritises fresh produce and meal solutions over in-store hospitality, with affected employees supported through redeployment.

M&S stressed that no jobs will be lost as a result of the closures, with all impacted staff moved to other roles within their stores. The company has previously said it plans to open more than 100 food stores by the end of 2028, growing to around 420 locations, and has converted several full-line sites to food-only formats in recent years.

The changes also come as M&S continues its financial recovery following a cyberattack in April that disrupted online orders for six weeks and is expected to cost around £300 million, according to the company’s guidance to investors.

The chain’s café closures represent a small fraction of its broader hospitality footprint, which spans more than 300 cafés, coffee shops and coffee-to-go locations.

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