A NORTH East retail expert has warned that, while Hexham is on M&S's list of 500 locations for new food stores, the chances of a return, particularly a move into the old Robbs building, remain slim.
Since retail giant M&S put Hexham on a 500-strong list of "potential" sites for new food stores, local rumour and excitement about a return has run rife.
Last month, a Hexham social media page had rumoured that M&S had earmarked the site of the old Robbs building on Priestpopple for a potential return.
However, M&S has quickly rebuffed these claims. Their spokesperson admitted that Hexham is one of the locations they are "interested" in, but that they "don’t have any sites in mind at the moment."
Hexham shoppers previously voiced their disappointment when M&S' Maiden's Walk store closed in May 2024. The retailer cited "changing consumer habits" as the reason behind the closure.
In November, M&S said it is aiming to "double the size" of its food business and "modernise" its store estate, and is now searching for stores of around 18,000 square feet in prominent, highly visible locations with dedicated parking.
North East retail consultant Graham Soult, of Canny Insights, said residents should be cautious about reading too much into Hexham’s inclusion in M&S's list.
"Just because a retailer publishes a list of the places that it is considering, it doesn’t mean that it will open in all those locations, and it doesn’t mean it has any immediate plans to," said Graham.
"It’s almost like a list of 'these are the places that we’re keeping an eye on', but in reality, a retailer has this kind of long list, and they will keep an eye on those places in case an opportunity arises that suits them."
"It’s obviously better to be on the list than not, but it doesn’t mean that anything is imminent."
The retail expert admits that Hexham, "for its size," is already "oddly well-served" for supermarkets with Tesco, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi and the Co‑op all operating in the town.
On the prospect of M&S moving into part of the former Robbs store, Graham said that it’s "10 per cent plausible, 90 per cent implausible."
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He believes that although Hexham is on M&S’s radar, there is currently no obvious site in the town that meets the retailer's requirements for a modern food hall.
"I would love nothing more than for it to be true - I would love M&S to return to Hexham and for the former Robbs building to be properly back in use - but looking at it objectively, based on everything I know, it seems very unlikely," he said.
"I know from the conversations I’ve had with M&S that, by and large, where they are opening food halls, they want to have them in places with parking on site, which there is at the former Robbs site, but it's very limited."
"If I'm proved wrong, I'll be thrilled."
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