Guest 684- Registered: 26 Feb 2009
- Posts: 635
4 October 2010
09:2173605Hello everyone,
I've heard a rather upsetting and disturbing rumour that Marks and Spencer are closing their Dover store. Now that really would be the death knell.
Can anyone nail this rumour or shed some light on it?
Cheers,
Andy
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,906
4 October 2010
09:4873610As someone who uses the store about twice a year why would it be "the death knell".
The town survived Woolworths closing and it would survive the over-rated M&S going.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
4 October 2010
09:5173612WEll as you dont use the store Jan you will not suffer .Im in there most days and it does have a lot of people going through the doors .Folkestone people come to our M/S .When they closed the Folkestone store it was a sad day .
You cannot compare Woolworths with M/S
With people like you not using the few shops we have no wonder Dover does not attract shops .
Guest 684- Registered: 26 Feb 2009
- Posts: 635
4 October 2010
09:5873613Does anyone know if the closure rumours are true or not, though?
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
4 October 2010
10:0073614is it wrong that i hope that they are shutting it down and have a refurb? because its horrible in there... lets be frank.. cant get half the stuff you want in there.. and its too cramped.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,906
4 October 2010
10:1273616"With people like you not using the few shops we have no wonder Dover does not attract shops ."
Thanks for the telling off Sue, what have I done to deserve that. I gave my opinion on what I thought was Andrew's over the top comment.
Just because I do not like M&S that much does not mean I do not use other local shops, I hardly ever leave Dover to do my shopping unlike some, you included I expect.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
4 October 2010
10:2373618Beat me to it Andy. A new M & S superstore up at Whitfield is in the pipeline I`ve heard.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
4 October 2010
10:2573619And Sue.. the reason it may not attract shops could be the whole negative attitude attached to it.
I have seen lots of customers who have come into tell me that they love my shop, but I have had several customers come in and tell me what I am doing wrong...its their opinion.... and we are entitled to it.
Marks and Spencer are failing in the store, its cramped and has an odd mix of things in there. It needs to be fixed.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
4 October 2010
10:2773620Oh noooo..catastrophic! Im a great fan of M&S in central Dover and if it goes there will be nothing left but small shops, who will in turn probably die off because the M&S customers will no longer be around, they will be elsewhere. You find out how popular M&S is at Christmastime when you try to buy your Christmas foodstuffs, wow does it get packed!
But I dont know it there is any truth as yet.

Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
4 October 2010
10:3373622The local M&S here are part of the parish community,they are attached to a petrol station,house a cash point and sell the newspapers along with food stuffs . I'd be lost at Christmas without a Marksy
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
4 October 2010
10:5173625FWIW the one in Deal is always busy.
It seems to have got the mixture of clothing and food about right, plus the demographic helps.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
4 October 2010
11:0273626i us eit on a daily basis, much improved range and the food is excellent value for money, always seems busy.
i would be very surprised if they closed or moved to whitfield.
4 October 2010
12:0473639I do hope its not true, i love that store and as the boss said its fab xmas time.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
4 October 2010
12:4073641Rumour has been circulating for a year
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
4 October 2010
12:4773644#7. A quick phone call this morning, and it`s come from an internal source. Howard, I wouldn`t be surprised at all at M & S opening a superstore in Whitfield, it would just be going the way Paul Watkins mentioned on another thread about Margate (Westwood), and Dartford (Bluewater). I hope it stays in Dover, but as Jenni rightly points out above, it is somewhat cramped, with no room for expansion. Don`t forget all that new housing planned for Whitfield, they don`t want all those family cars piling into Dover town. I can visualise the future as Whitfield with legoland styled housing, (like Ashford), with more industrial units, and lot`s of parking space, and the open field`s gone forever.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
4 October 2010
12:5073646COLIN;
It begs the question, Is It a good thing to have all this moving to whitfield whilst at same time destroying town centre with this policy.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
4 October 2010
12:5573648Not a good thing at all in my humble opinion Keith, and it doesn`t need a non political brain like mine to see the outcome, though I hope I`m wrong. The winner`s once again will be the landowner`s.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
4 October 2010
13:0073650COLIN;
Sadly It has been a policy of this council for some time
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
4 October 2010
13:0473653Better an M&S superstore at Whitfield, even if it closes in Dover town, than to lose the town centre store and have the superstore open in Ashford instead.
That said I hope this does not happen - I use M&S a fair bit and like their food and would not use them so much if they were in Whitfield. It would certainly be a blow to the town centre losing it.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
4 October 2010
13:1473656Well COLIN It looks like there Is some truth in this rumour.
Sad policy that will kil our loved town centre
still you heard it here
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS