A MAJOR high street retailer will start closing stores within days.
All 170 M&Co stores are set to close forever and some shops have confirmed when they’ll shut their doors for good.
It comes after the retailer, previously called Mackay’s, fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022.
Administrators at Teneo put the bust business up for sale with an auction deadline for interested buyers.
M&Co’s brand and intellectual property was sold to Yours Clothing but the stores weren’t and are set to close.
The Sun can now reveal the exact dates that several stores will cease trading.
M&Co’s Wick and Fort William stores will close for good on Saturday, March 25.
The closures have been confirmed on both stores’ Facebook pages.
For example, M&Co’s Wick Facebook page said: “The day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived, and we can now confirm that the final trading day for our Wick branch will be Saturday, March 25.
“We won’t be receiving any further stock into the store, so hurry and grab your favourite items before they’re gone!
“We would like to thank you for your support during our administration, and hope to see you all in the store before we say goodbye.”
Another closure will take place before the end of the month when M&Co’s Thurso shop will shut to customers for the final time on Tuesday, March 28.
Six more M&Co stores will then bring the shutters down forever on Saturday, April 1 in:
- Lewes
- Gosport
- Belper
- Beccles
- Newquay
- Lerwick
Karen, store manager at M&Co’s Gosport store posted on the shops Facebook page and said: “It is with great sadness that I can now announce that our last trading day in M&CO Gosport will be Saturday, April 1, 2023.
“We will most definitely miss every single one of our many lovely customers we have gained over so many years, lots of generations of customers have shopped with us.
“I would like to thank all the kind and thoughtful things our customers have said to us since finding out we were in administration last December.
“We have some great offers in-store so please don’t be strangers… it’s going fast… with too many fantastic bargains.
“Thank you from Karen and the Gosport team.”
Teaneo, M&Co’s administrator, said that further stores will begin to vanish from the high street as store stock dries up.
But the administrator wouldn’t provide an exact date when it expects the brand to completely exit the high street.
M&Co has been running a huge 30-60% off closing down sale online and in stores in recent weeks to help shed any remaining stock.
Shoppers need to act fast to take advantage of the discounts because once the items are sold they’re gone forever.
And remember you might find that your closest store doesn’t have what you want in stock.
You can find your closest M&Co store by visiting the retailer’s website and using the store locator tool.
If you’re ordering items directly from M&Co’s website you’ll face a delivery charge of £3.50 for any order priced below £50.
And if you opt for click and collect it’s £2 for orders under £20 and free thereafter.
We’ve listed all of M&Co’s stores that are expected to close in the coming months.
M&Co isn’t the only store to go into administration and shut its shop doors.
Stationery retailer Paperchase collapsed into administration this week after it failed to find a buyer.
Supermarket giant Tesco quickly stepped up to buy rights to the brand, as they plan to sell Paperchase items in stores.
When a business is liquidated, they will look to sell stock for as much as possible to pay back creditors.
Stores may disappear off the high street within weeks but the process could take up to two months.
Major burger chain Byron Burger also recently fell into administration and is set to close nine restaurants immediately.
If you do bag a bargain from M&Co during its clearance sales, it’s important that you are aware of your refund rights.
We’ve also listed all the shops and supermarkets closing stores by the end of this month.