Shelved - M&S pulls out of Leamington superstore plan

On Tuesday The Gibraltar Limited Partnership, which owns the shopping park, announced the retail company’s plan to open a 35,000sq ft store which could have created about 100 new jobs.

But on Wednesday afternoon Simon Hoare, a spokesman for the partnership, said: “The Gibraltar Limited Partnership have been advised today that Marks & Spencer no longer has an interest in occupying the former Focus unit at Leamington Shopping Park.

“This Partnership is obviously disappointed by this decision.

“As a result, the planned public consultation that was due to take place on Friday and Saturday is cancelled.”

Marks & Spencer spokesman Christopher Kang later said: “We are always looking for new sites and have been in discussions about the former Focus store at Leamington Shopping Park.

“We have nothing to confirm at the moment and unfortunately the public exhibitions are now not taking place.”

Leamington chamber of trade chairman Norman Stephens, was privy to the proposals about six months ago and said at the time it seemed “set in stone” that Marks & Spencer would proceed with its plans.

Mr Stephens, who had raised concerns about the new store drawing custom away from the company’s existing branches in the Parade and The Royal Priors and from other shops in Leamington town centre, said: “Hip-hip hooray, that is fantastic news because we were assured it was a done deal.

“The chamber of trade and BID Leamington are working very hard to regenerate the town centre and restore its viability and vibrancy.

“We want to see businesses coming into the town centre and working with us rather than appearing somewhere else and taking business away.”

The Courier asked both Marks & Spencer and The Gibraltar Limited Partnership why the plans had been scrapped but at the time of going to print neither had given a reason.

Warwick district councillor John Hammon (Con, Cubbington) who is responsible for policy on development services said: “It was a worry because we don’t want to put everything out at the Leamington Shopping Park, the town centre is important and it really has a lot going for it.

“We would like to create jobs centrally rather than on the outskirts of Leamington and that will come with the future developments. We’re certainly not giving up on jobs.

“We want the town centre to be healthy and prosperous and with the new hotel coming in and Wagamama being built and the sewer improvement works nearly finished the town has a bright future.”