Fresh questions raised over M&S's high street future in Ipswich

The big picture: When council leaders announced the deal to sell the former Toys'R'Us site in Copdock to M&S, they were keen to emphasise that the new development would coexist with the brand's town centre store on Westgate Street.

What they said: "The investment has been enabled by Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council, as owners of the Freehold and Long Leasehold of the site and secures an ongoing M&S presence in Ipswich town centre," said the announcement.

Colin Kreidewolf, Chair of Ipswich Borough Assets, Ipswich Borough Council’s property investment arm, said "The sale to M&S is coupled with the retailer retaining its Ipswich town centre presence."

Suffolk County Council leader Matthew Hicks noted the deal "retains their long-standing presence in the town centre."

Neil MacDonald, Leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said: “This is fantastic news for Ipswich. Ipswich gets the best of M&S with a new store at Copdock and a town centre store."

What's emerged since: Responding to questions from Ipswich.co.uk about the terms of the deal, MacDonald said that the council "worked hard during the negotiations to ensure that Ipswich was able to maintain its M&S high street presence," but he confirmed "there is no contractual agreement."

He added that M&S are "investing significant amounts of money in the Westgate St store," though no figures have been disclosed and neither M&S nor the council has provided specific details about the investment in the Westgate Street site.

Why it matters: The revelation raises serious questions about the long-term future of M&S's high street presence and prompts fresh concerns about the council’s commitment to Ipswich’s town centre. Ipswich.co.uk editor, Oliver Rouane-Williams shares his take below.

Opinion

The council's announcement of this deal was, frankly, misleading.

The language used was clear; deliberately intended to give the impression that the development of the new Copdock site was conditional on M&S maintaining it's high street presence.

It isn't.

We now know that M&S has no obligation to keep their Westgate Street store open.

While that doesn't mean it's a foregone conclusion the company will close it following the opening of the Copdock store, it will ultimately come down to numbers.

M&S own the Westgate Street premises, so they will likely keep the store open for as long as it remains commercially viable.

However, there lies the big question: Will the high street store remain commercially viable with a new "brand-defining 60,000 sq ft store" opening in Copdock and a large store already in Martlesham – both of which have better access and parking?

The fact that no other town the size of Ipswich has three large M&S stores suggests not, but only time will tell.

When the new store opens in 2027/28, shoppers will need to vote with their wallets and M&S will act accordingly.

The bottom line: Despite the positive language used by both council leaders and M&S, the lack of contractual obligation over its town centre future means M&S's long-term high street presence remains entirely at the company's discretion.