M&S have today proposed the closure of the Middlesbrough Town Centre store. This is a devastating blow for Middlesbrough and one that will seriously affect the future of our town centre. M&S Middlesbrough has been trading from the exact same location on Linthorpe road for the last 122 years, having opened in 1901. This closure will mark an end of that long history as one of the longest serving M&S stores. In the last decade the North East has lost full line stores in Hartlepool, Durham, Bishop Auckland, South Shields, Redcar, Darlington and Stockton. This proposed closure is another example of M&S turning its back on the North East of England, a place which is so closely linked to the history of the company. Whilst Leeds is where M&S attribute their foundations, Michael Marks actually arrived into the North East and was peddling from a tray at markets in Stockton, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough before moving to Leeds. The loss of one of the last high street stores in the North East is a huge blow for those that can't access the retail park. If like me you are passionate about M&S retaining their presence in Middlesbrough, please sign this petition and try to get M&S to think about this proposal and decision.