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Quote from The Independent:

Marks & Spencer has announced the closure of up to 14 stores, with 468 jobs affected.

The retailer said the closures were part of M&S's strategy to downsize its clothing & home offering to focus more on food.

The retailer said six stores will close by the end of April: Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Durham, Fforestfach, Putney and Redditch, with all staff moving to nearby stores.

A further eight stores are proposed for closure: Andover, Basildon, Bridlington, Denton (Outlet), Falmouth, Fareham, Keighley and Stockport.

M&S said it will now consult employees in these branches about their future. The company did not confirm how long that process would take.

If the stores do close, staff would be offered the chance to move to other stores before redundancy is considered, M&S said in a statement.

Martin Lane, managing editor of personal finance site money.co.uk said the news was distressing for M&S employees but warned of further redundancies ahead at high-street retailers.

“This is the third time in a matter of weeks we’ve heard of job cuts impacting some of the UK’s biggest stores," he said.

Looks like they've admitted they can't compete in the clothes market.