CAMPAIGNERS are to meet with Marks and Spencer representatives in a matter of weeks in a further push to keep the high street branch open.

Maarten Westera and his wife, Sarah, started a petition within hours of the announcement that Marks and Spencer were going to close their High Street store and move to a new 62,000 sq ft retail unit in Stanway.

The two also put together a survey to gauge how many shoppers would travel to the new store which is due to open this autumn.

They found half of the 250 respondents would not travel to the new retail unit.

Alongside other campaigners, councillors, and business owners, Mr Westera is to get round the table with Marks and Spencer representatives in an effort to convince them Colchester High Street’s supermarket is both vital for the town and commercially viable for the retailer.

Colchester MP Will Quince has already met with retail bosses to explore the possibility of keeping the food hall, and Mr Westera is keen to convince bosses it would be vital to the survival of Colchester town centre.

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The meeting is to take place at the Goerge Hotel – who have offered use of their boardroom free of charge – on either Monday, July 25, or Tuesday, July 26.

He said: “I’ve asked them specifically to bring some decision makers.

“We’re not interested in having a meeting about how great their new store is going to be.”

Mr Westera explained five campaigners, including a lifelong customer of Colchester High Street’s Marks and Spencer, will be at the crunch talks later this month.

“We’ve been distributed hundreds of leaflets all over the town and we’ve had overwhelming support from every store and café we’ve been in.

“The campaign keeps on going and we keep on finding more support and more surprising outcomes.”

Mr Westera claims Marks and Spencer has shown a disregard for its customers by pushing ahead with the new out of town store.

He added: “They would lose 78 per cent of their existing customers – people might travel further to go to the new store but no business  makes a decision where they would lose customers and feel it is a commercially viable plan.”