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Almost 70 could lose jobs as M&S shuts Croydon store

11:02am Wednesday 7th January 2009 in


High street retailer Marks and Spencer is to close its Valley Park store, leaving 68 employees potentially jobless.

The retailer has been hit hard by the economic downturn and in response announced today the closure of 27 stores in total.

The Valley Park store in Croydon was one of two main chain stores to be earmarked for closure, while a further 25 Simply Food stores are set to close across the country.

Stuart Rose, chairman of M&S, said: "We believe that we have looked at every available option and opportunity to keep the Valley Park store open, but in this tough trading environment it is no longer commercially viable. We are very sadly putting forward this proposal to close the store and will listen carefully to any suggestions employees have for alternatives.

"We have a great team here and I would like to thank them for their commitment to the store and for their hard work delivering excellent service to our customers.

"If this proposed closure goes ahead, we hope that our valued customers will continue to shop with M&S at one of our alternative local stores such as Croydon, Beckenham or West Wickham, which offer a wide variety of quality M&S products."

A period of consultation will now start with the store’s 68 employees.

In the event of closure, employees will be offered appropriate help from M&S to find alternative employment in the local area.

Malcolm MP, MP for Croydon North, said: "The closure of the Marks & Spencer store at Valley Park indicates the seriousness of the economic recession. It's going to be a very tough year.

"I am urging Marks & Spencer's to do their utmost to redeploy these staff members, who have served the store loyally."

The closure of the store is the latest in a line of well-known high street retailers pulling out of Croydon.

Woolworths closed its doors at the beginning of the month after almost 100 years of trading, the Pier has shut, while the Officer’s Club and Roseby’s are also set to close within the month.

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Comments(23)

scoffer says...
1:44pm Wed 7 Jan 09

With all dreadful news of honest, hardworking, folk losing their jobs... is it not time to shut the door in this country for people coming here looking for work ? I apologise if anyone is offended by my post... just seems a reasonable request in my humble opinion!!

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vincent123 says...
3:58pm Wed 7 Jan 09

No surprise really the store was too small for an out of town shop,the range was too little in the non food departments and the food dept.was really a simply food outlet with only a small range

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ANNE GILES says...
9:19pm Wed 7 Jan 09

The one in the Whitgift Centre is the one I always go to. I don't go near Valley Park.

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cr2 says...
6:45am Thu 8 Jan 09

We should stop poeple coming to croydon looking for work to many shops are closing down now and we need to care for our own p oeple in this reccession.Thank you

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scoffer says...
10:45am Thu 8 Jan 09

Give the man a prize!! We've been saying this for the last couple of months on the C.G. at last some joined-up thinking from Cr2!! rofl!!

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ANNE GILES says...
11:03am Thu 8 Jan 09

Good morning, scoffer - and a nice, sunny one it is too. Unfortunately, I have to rest because my knee was injected yesterday. Never mind - I can look at the sun from inside my house.

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Brian Sewer says...
11:52am Thu 8 Jan 09

I agree with you all to many immigrants speaking broken english in the shops in south london croydon

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NastyMrTom says...
1:10pm Thu 8 Jan 09

Brian Sewer wrote:
I agree with you all to many immigrants speaking broken english in the shops in south london croydon

That'd be 'too many' I think ... your English isn't up to much either.




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scoffer says...
1:53pm Thu 8 Jan 09

Good to see nastyoltom at long last agreeing there are just too many!! rofl!!

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ANNE GILES says...
2:02pm Thu 8 Jan 09

NastyMrTom wrote:
Brian Sewer wrote: I agree with you all to many immigrants speaking broken english in the shops in south london croydon
That'd be 'too many' I think ... your English isn't up to much either.
I love it. I continually hear bad English being spoken by English people. What comes to mind is: "me and my wife". "Me" is a subject pronoun. It should be "my wife and I". Or "should of". It should be "should have or should've". The Eastern Europeans who come here speak perfect English, though.

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ANNE GILES says...
2:05pm Thu 8 Jan 09

Another one which springs to mind is when apostrophes are used as a plural instead of as a possessive. Signs for "xmas tree's" or "cooked breakfast's", etc. etc. Even four star hotels in this country have English staff whose grammar and spelling are appalling. They feel insulted if anyone corrects them as well.

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ANNE GILES says...
2:07pm Thu 8 Jan 09

ANNE GILES wrote:
NastyMrTom wrote:
Brian Sewer wrote: I agree with you all to many immigrants speaking broken english in the shops in south london croydon
That'd be 'too many' I think ... your English isn't up to much either.
I love it. I continually hear bad English being spoken by English people. What comes to mind is: "me and my wife". "Me" is a subject pronoun. It should be "my wife and I". Or "should of". It should be "should have or should've". The Eastern Europeans who come here speak perfect English, though.
APOLOGIES: "Me" is an object pronoun. "I" is a subject pronoun. One might as well say "me is going to the pub".

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scoffer says...
2:17pm Thu 8 Jan 09

I thought this was about people losing their jobs with M & S ?

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ANNE GILES says...
9:16pm Thu 8 Jan 09

It was, but Brian changed it into a story about languages.

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scoffer says...
10:15am Fri 9 Jan 09

Brian ? can you please keep to the subject!! - we need to stick to the stories that good, honest, hardworking, folk understand - sitting around learning a foreign language is fine - but with a recession, this is not so important as paying your gas and leccy bills and putting some hot food on the table for your kids!!

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Brian Sewer says...
12:28pm Fri 9 Jan 09

I do apologise scoffer but sometimes the baiting becomes to much and you have to reply to the attacks on hear

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NastyMrTom says...
3:57pm Fri 9 Jan 09

Brian Sewer wrote:
I do apologise scoffer but sometimes the baiting becomes to much and you have to reply to the attacks on hear

boo-hoo-hoo .... sniff sniff
They don't bait me in Tarring scoffer.

Do you think it might be because you seem intent on posting negative comments about Croydon and it's good people on nearly every thread ... grow up


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Brian Sewer says...
10:41am Sat 10 Jan 09

You should try relaxing a bit and accepting other peoples views;and why do you call yourself nasty?

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scoffer says...
1:54pm Sat 10 Jan 09

Because she is Brian!! rofl!!

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Brian Sewer says...
12:36pm Sun 11 Jan 09

Very nasty scoffer

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NastyMrTom says...
1:13pm Mon 12 Jan 09

Brian Sewer wrote:
You should try relaxing a bit and accepting other peoples views;and why do you call yourself nasty?

why do you call yourself Brian Sewer ?

stop whinging and accept that if you give it out you're going to et it back

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Brian Sewer says...
6:59pm Tue 13 Jan 09

Whats et it back supposed to mean anyroad? you cant even speak english you lump of lard

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scoffer says...
12:04pm Wed 14 Jan 09

Good question Brian!! olclevercloggs ain't that clever afterall... copying, altering, and pasting took her all night to do... and now it's vanished!! rofl!!

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