Council seeks liability order
Court documents list the amounts sought as £204,032.90 and £215,600.00, LeicestershireLive reported. The council is seeking a council tax liability order against the retailer, whose downtown Leicester branch closed in August 2024.
The hearing will take place at Leicester Magistrates' Court. A liability order confirms that a debt is owed and authorizes a local authority to collect the outstanding money. A Leicester City Council spokesperson declined to comment.
Closure and investment in Fosse Park
M&S announced the Gallowtree Gate closure in May 2024, citing changes in shopping habits. The retailer called the decision "tough" and said it needed the right stores to provide a "brilliant shopping experience." The flagship branch's final day of trading was Saturday, August 17, 2024.
An option to retain a downtown M&S food store while removing the clothing and household departments had been explored, Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby later told a council scrutiny committee. M&S was not amenable to that arrangement at the time, according to the Leicester City Council Overview Select Committee papers dated December 12, 2024.
When announcing the closure, M&S said it was directing investment toward its revamped Fosse Park location instead. That store's expansion added 11,500 square feet, taking its total size above 100,000 square feet. According to The Crown Estate, M&S described the project as its biggest single renewal investment to date. Work was expected to finish in fall 2024 while the store remained open.
The investment formed part of wider spending in the region. M&S regional manager Calum Telford said the company had invested more than £20 million in East Midlands stores since 2020, LeicestershireLive reported. He also cited a multimillion-pound investment in the Castle Donington distribution center, which employs more than 1,700 people.
Interest in the former premises
By November 1, 2024, Soulsby said there was "interest" in the former M&S site and a "serious proposal" was being discussed, BBC News reported. The council said it could not release further details at that stage.
The premises had two different owners, Soulsby told the scrutiny committee in late 2024. The Humberstone Gate portion was leased separately from the Gallowtree Gate portion, allowing parties to express interest in either section independently, according to the December 12 committee papers.
Discussing M&S's departure, Soulsby also pointed to earlier changes among Leicester's large retailers: C&A had been replaced by Primark, Littlewoods by TK Maxx, and Fenwicks by the Gresham.
