Colchester High Street M&S building set to be sold for £2m

Discussions between Marks and Spencer representatives and property developers City and Country have been ongoing for several months, and the High Street site is expected to be developed next year once the sale is finalised.

The store has been empty for more than two years, with Marks and Spencer controversially deciding to move out of the city centre and on to Stane Retail Park on the outskirts of town in September 2022.

Sale – the High Street unit has been empty for more than two years (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

It is expected the High Street site, which has three storeys and was occupied by Marks and Spencer since 1931, will be split up into a number of separate outlets.

Details on which retailers will move into the store are yet to be confirmed but a spokesman for City and Country said the company is in discussion with several potential tenants.

He said: “We are pleased to be involved in shaping the future of the former Marks and Spencer site in Colchester, following its closure in 2022.

“City and Country has been actively developing plans to split up this significant building to create smaller commercial outlets on the High Street, Lion Walk and upper floors.

Closed – contractors wasted no time in removing M&S signage when the store closed in September 2022 (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) “We are now working closely with several prospective tenants who will help us to transform the site into a dynamic hub, comprising restaurants, retail, event space and co-working/office space.”

Maarten Westera, who led the campaign with his wife Sarah to save the High Street Marks and Spencer from closure, said the news of the site potentially being transformed was “a great opportunity” for the city.

He said: “Obviously, we are desperate to see something happening to that building.

“It’s good news to hear that someone is wanting to redevelop it and hopefully greater to have opportunities for restaurants and events.

Encouraged – Maarten and Sarah Westera (Image: Maarten Westera) “The city is crying out for more retail and we hope that at least some will be occupying this space as well.

“Anything like this would be a great opportunity for Colchester and I am sure, in time, that is going to happen anyway.

“It is progress that someone is speaking up and telling us what’s going on.

“It’s taken a bit long but I appreciate it is a big building and needs a lot of work.”

How Colchester battled in vain to keep its High Street M&S

A TWO-YEAR wait to fill one of Colchester city centre’s main retail units could come to an end next year after developers reached an agreement with Marks and Spencer to buy the site.

The news is likely to be welcomed by shoppers, who were left disappointed when Marks and Spencer announced in April 2022 it would leave the site and move to Stane Retail Park in Stanway.

After 91 years in the High Street, Marks and Spencer closed its doors September 7 and opened its new store the following morning.

Bosses pushed ahead with the move despite strong local opposition, with a petition started by campaigners Maarten and Sarah Westera gaining hundreds of signatures.

High Steward of Colchester, Sir Bob Russell, spent around £200 to buy 124 shares in Marks and Spencer Group PLC, allowing him to speak at an annual shareholders’ meeting and invite the chairman for a meeting about the site’s future.

In that meeting, Sir Bob told Archie Norman the addition of Marks and Spencer at Stane Park would bring “chaos, congestion and confusion” because of the amount of traffic in the area.

In January last year, four months after the store opened, Marks and Spencer announced its clothing and home sales profits were 26 per cent higher than original estimates as it sought to defend the move to Stane Park.

Retailers are expected to start filling up the High Street site next year once the deal for the retail unit goes through.