NORTHWICH councillor Sam Naylor has told the Guardian that M&S leaving would 'take part of the heart out of the town', but insists the council will do everything it can to keep M&S in Northwich in some capacity. 

The proposal to close the M&S store in Northwich town centre and leave 60 jobs in the balance was revealed on Tuesday. 

Members of the community and town's dignataries have spoken out about concerns over what the closure would mean for the town. 

And Cllr Naylor, Cheshire West and Chester Council member for Winnington and Castle, says losing a flagship business like M&S could have a huge impact on the town. 

Cllr Naylor said: “I’m really disappointed obviously and I feel for the hardworking people who are likely to be losing their jobs.

“The M&S brand is an iconic British flagship company, much like Woolworths was and it’s 10 years since that closed in Northwich and it was missed a great deal. It takes a bit of the heart out of the town centre when you lose one of these flagship companies like Woolworths or M&S, but I’m determined to keep the brand in Northwich somehow. 

“Out of the 35 stores that have gone into the same consultation period so far, they’ve all closed. So I think M&S will definitely be moving out of its current building. But I’m working with Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury and CWAC and we’re all really determined to offer M&S something to keep them in Northwich.

“The Northwich store may not have been as profitable as they’d like, but we know that it was profitable, and we know that a large part of their business was from the Click and Collect service. 

“So a smaller unit at Barons Quay with a food court and click and collect service would be perfect and I’m confident that we can offer them a good deal.”