Marks & Spencer has closed a popular in-store cafe in Crawley, with shoppers describing the decision as a “shame” and questioning why the retailer is shutting a venue they say was always busy.
A notice inside the M&S store at Acorn Retail Park in West Sussex confirmed the cafe would close on Saturday, February 21, thanking customers for their support. The notice said: “This M&S Café is closing. Thank you from M&S Café to all our customers.” Locals reacted to the news with disappointment, saying it was “such a shame”.
The closure is the latest in a wave of cafe shutdowns by the high street giant, which is set to close four more cafes next month.
Local shoppers reacted with disappointment on social media, with many saying the cafe was a regular part of their weekly routine. One customer wrote: “I will really miss my weekly coffees and cheese and mushroom toasties after shopping there. Such a shame to hear it is closing and I hope the lovely staff will not lose their jobs.”
Others were baffled by the decision, describing the cafe as “always busy” and praising the staff and family-friendly menu. “Such a shame.
The staff are so helpful and friendly. It is always busy. One of the few places locally where they offer more healthy children’s lunches,” another shopper commented.
Marks & Spencer said the closure was part of a wider plan to expand its food retail space.
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A spokesperson said: “M&S Food is popular with the community in Crawley and we know that many of our customers would like to choose from an even wider selection.
"To make this possible, we’re investing in our store to offer our customers the broadest possible range of M&S Food. In order to do this, we do need to re-purpose the cafe space. These decisions are never easy, but we try and do the right thing for the majority of our customers.”
The Crawley closure follows an announcement that four M&S cafes in Kent will shut next month, as part of a broader programme of cafe closures across the UK. In October, the retailer confirmed plans to close 11 cafes in total, largely to make space for expanded food halls.
The move reflects a shift in M&S’s strategy towards food retail, as demand for convenience shopping grows.
Despite the cafe shutdowns, M&S continues to invest in its food business, which has been one of the strongest-performing parts of the company in recent years.
