When an institution closes its doors, the emotional impact isn't usually displayed on the streets. However, this was the case with the ‘stalwart of Leicester’, the city’s Marks and Spencer (M&S) branch after it shut its doors permanently on Saturday, 17th of August.
At the doors of the British retailer, which has been a cornerstone of British high streets for decades closed, the staff gathered for a round of applause.
One shopper, a 60-year old Margherita Stevens, was displeased by this event and was spotted at the scene donning a black hat and veil.
“I'm devastated, I'm lost,” said Ms Stevens, who was standing outside the store during the closing procession.
“I used to come here because I knew people, I felt connected. This is ripping the heart out of Leicester, it's not just a shop closing, for me it's a chapter of my life that I will never get back.”
"My heart is connected to the shop," she added, then went further to describe Marks and Spencer (M&S) as her "safe space".
However, Ms Margherita Stevens wasn't the only displeased customer as other customers spoke of their memories and sadness over the closures.
“I think I have always been a Marks and Spencer fan, their clothes are pure cotton,” said 38-year old Sundas Hasan. "T-shirts, joggers; I always buy from them.”
Veronique Brooke, 59, added that not having the M&S would be “very sad”.
"The only place you can go now is Fosse Park, and not everybody wants to go to an outlet, so I think it will have quite a bit of an effect on Leicester city center," Veronique Brooke added.
M&S said it made "the tough decision" to shut the Gallowtree Gate branch in May, with the closing date announced in July.
Leicester's business improvement district (BID) group described the news as "disappointing but not surprising".
A petition was started in an attempt to persuade M&S to keep the "precious store" open, but it was to no avail, and on Saturday, the "mourners" came.
The Regional Manager, Calum Telford, previously mentioned that affected staff would be offered other roles in the business "wherever possible". They pointed out that M&S was investing in the nearby Fosse Park store and had made a multi-million-pound investment in a distribution center in Castle Donington, employing more than 1,700 people.
Closing Remarks
The closure of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in Leicester marks the end of an era for many in the community, leaving a void that will be hard to fill. Despite this shutdown, Leicester' M&S branch hasn't officially declared bankruptcy unlike these companies.
Moving on, the emotional response from customers, like Margherita Stevens, is proof that establishments like M&S mean more in our lives than we're probably aware of.