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Dundee shoppers bid farewell to Murraygate Marks and Spencer as store closes for final time

The retailer is opening a new superstore at the Gallagher Retail Park on July 16.

The M&S store on Murraygate in Dundee is to close.
The M&S store on Murraygate in Dundee is to close. Image: James Simpson/DC Thomson

Shoppers in Dundee bid farewell to the Murraygate Marks and Spencer on Saturday as it closed its doors for the final time.

The retailer is opening a new superstore at the Gallagher Retail Park on July 16, meaning its Murraygate premises will no longer operate.

Marks and Spencer has been a fixture of the area since 1918, with the current store operating since 1936.

Among the shoppers who came out to browse the store for the final time was 95-year-old Joyce Duncan.

Joyce Duncan outside Marks and Spencer before it closed. Image: DC Thomson.

“I’m nearly greeting”, she said.

“Marks and Spencer has been part of my life.

“The shop closing is a big change. Having the new shop at the Gallagher Retail Park is alright in this weather but come the winter, not so much – there’s no shelter.”

‘It will be another empty building here’

Joyce’s concerns were echoed by Ann Brown, 82, who also took a trip down the Murraygate on Saturday afternoon.

She said: “There’s a picture of me outside here aged 16 – that was in the days when there was a sea of people down the Murraygate.

“It’s sad (to see it go) and it will be another empty building here.

“It’s alright going down to the Gallagher Retail Park on the bus but coming back with all your shopping, not so much.”

The Murraygate Marks and Spencer in the 1950s. Image: DC Thomson.

Margaret, aged 80, also felt a tinge of sadness at the store’s impeding closure.

“It’s sad that it’s shutting because it’s handy here. There’s going to be nothing when it shuts.

“I came here just to have a look round but there’s a few empty shelves and it feels like it has already shut.”

The new shop – which is part of a £30 million investment in its Scottish stores by M&S – combines the former DW Sports and Mothercare units at the retail park.

It will be a mixture of food, clothing and beauty and will also include a café.

The superstore will also have a food hall that is around 40% bigger than the current M&S Food at Gallagher Retail Park, which will also close.

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