M&S confirmed today that it will close its Newmarket store on August 11 with the loss of 38 jobs.

The company says the closure “is part of our programme to reshape our UK store estate”.

Calum Telford, head of region for East Anglia at Marks & Spencer, said: “Proposing to close the Newmarket store was a difficult decision.

“Over the past few weeks we’ve been consulting with our colleagues and, following this rigorous process, the decision has been made to close the store on August 11.”

He said: “We’d like to thank the local community and our customers for the feedback they’ve given over the last few weeks. We’ll continue to serve customers from our nearby stores in Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds

Sacha Berendji, retail, operations and property director at Marks & Spencer said, “Closing stores isn’t easy but it is vital for the future of M&S.

“Where we have closed stores, we are seeing customers moving to nearby stores and shopping with us in a better environment.”