End of an era for popular M&S Café at Crawley retail park as closing date revealed
Shoppers at Acorn Retail Park in Crawley will soon have to find a new spot for their coffee break, as the M&S Café is set to close.
A sign displayed in-store at Marks & Spencer’s Crawley Acorn Park Foodhall – Unit 1, Betts Way – confirms that the café will close on Saturday, February 21.
The notice thanked customers for their support, reading: “This M&S Café is closing. Thank you from M&S Café to all our customers.”
The café, located inside the M&S Foodhall at County Oak, has been a popular stop for shoppers looking to take a break with a hot drink, brunch or sweet treat. On its website, M&S describes its cafés as ‘the perfect foodie pitstop’, offering everything from quick coffees to hearty brunches and afternoon treats.
An M&S spokesperson told Sussex World: “We know many of our customers want to be able to shop a wider range of M&S food. That’s why after reviewing our Acorn Park store in Crawley, we are re-purposing the café space to offer even more delicious products."
The news is likely to disappoint regular customers who have made the café part of their shopping routine.
The closure follows an announcement by the retailer in October that it would be repurposing café space in some smaller food stores to make room for more of customers’ favourite food products. At the time, M&S said it planned to close 11 cafés in smaller food-only shops to free up space for popular ranges.
The business had said that fewer than four per cent of M&S’s 316 food stores would be affected by the changes, and the company pledged that no jobs would be lost.
The move forms part of a wider £300 million investment programme aimed at modernising and expanding M&S food halls. While some smaller cafés are closing, the retailer is also opening new coffee shops in larger locations, including at its Bristol Cabot Circus store.
M&S set out ambitions to extensively grow its food store network by 2028, as it focuses on expanding its food offering.