M&S Cafe Closures: 13 in England 2026, Menus & More

M&S is mid-way through closing dozens of its in-store cafés across the UK, with 13 confirmed shut in England during 2026 and more planned elsewhere. The upheaval follows an April 2025 ransomware breach that cost the retailer roughly £300 million in annual profit and forced empty shelves across hundreds of stores.

Cafés closing in England 2026: 13 · Kids Mission Munch meal price: £4.50 · Closure announcements: Dozens across UK · Cyber attack impact: Empty food shelves · Top café review rating: 3.3/5 on Tripadvisor

The table below summarises key facts about M&S cafés, the closure programme, and the cyber disruption that prompted it.

Why is M&S shutting cafés?

M&S is closing a portion of its in-store cafés as part of a strategic overhaul tied to its April 2025 ransomware breach. The cyberattack, which disrupted operations for nearly seven weeks, forced the retailer to halt online orders and left some store shelves temporarily empty. Rather than simply rebuilding what existed before, the company is using the disruption as a catalyst for change. About 4.4% of M&S’s 316 food stores are affected by café closures, with 11 small-store cafés shutting as part of a £300 million post-cyberattack store shake-up, according to IBTimes UK.

The reasoning is pragmatic: M&S wants to reallocate the space previously used for sit-down cafés. Those areas are being converted to expanded bakery counters, takeaway coffee stations, and food-to-go ranges—formats that align better with how customers now shop. The company serves 32 million customers across its estate, and changing shopping habits mean fewer people want a full café experience when they can grab and go.

Closure reasons

The closures reflect a post-pandemic shift in retail priorities. M&S regional manager Katie Whelan confirmed the café closure strategy, stating the goal is to repurpose space for expanded food offerings that match how shoppers use the stores today. This isn’t a retreat from food—it’s a redirecting of resources within the food business.

M&S CEO Stuart Machin acknowledged the cyberattack publicly, describing the situation as “unlucky … through human error” regarding how attackers gained access. The breach originated through a third-party supplier, with M&S’s IT helpdesk run by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), according to BlackFog. Attackers used social engineering to trick helpdesk staff into handing over access credentials. No full payment card details or passwords were taken, though customer data including names, addresses, and dates of birth was compromised.

We were unlucky … through human error.

— Stuart Machin, M&S CEO, via BlackFog

The implication is that M&S is treating the breach not as a setback to recover from but as an opportunity to reshape its store format strategy faster than originally planned.

Affected locations

Confirmed closure sites include Crawley, Dunblane, Stone, Hull, and several Kent stores, with the Congleton M&S Foodhall in Cheshire among the latest to shut its café, according to Ground News. A total of 14 M&S cafés are already closed or due to close shortly. Importantly, no jobs will be lost—all affected café employees will be redeployed to other roles within M&S.

Which M&S cafes are closing in 2026?

M&S has announced the closure of 13 cafés in England scheduled for 2026, with dozens more closures announced across the UK. The company is being relatively transparent about the locations affected, though a complete nationwide list remains difficult to pin down from public announcements alone. The confirmed closures represent a deliberate thinning of the café network rather than a wholesale exit from in-store food service.

Full list of closures

While M&S has not published a single definitive list, news reports and regional announcements have identified multiple closure sites. Beyond the 11 small-store cafés specifically tied to the post-cyberattack shake-up, additional cafés have closed or are marked to close shortly, bringing the total to at least 14 locations. Stores affected include locations in Crawley, Dunblane, Stone, Hull, and several Kent stores, with Cheshire also featuring in recent closures. The pattern suggests closures are spread across England rather than concentrated in one region.

Timeline details

The café closures are happening in stages. Early closures occurred throughout late 2024 and into 2025, with the 14th café closure announced as of late 2025. The 2026 England closures represent the next phase, though the exact schedule for specific stores may vary. October 2025 saw additional café menu updates announced, signalling that M&S was refining its foodhall offering alongside the closure programme.

What this means for customers is that checking individual store status before visiting will become increasingly important as the programme progresses through 2026.

How many cafés does M&S have?

M&S operates approximately 316 food stores across its estate, but pinning down an exact café count is harder than it should be. The company has not published a precise, up-to-date number of active cafés, and the closure programme is actively reducing that number. What is clear is that cafés are not in every store—the sit-down café format appears to be concentrated in a subset of larger or flagship locations.

Current total

With 11 small-store cafés closing and a total of 14 confirmed closed or closing, the café network has already contracted noticeably. M&S serves 32 million customers across its estate of over 1,400 stores (including non-food locations), according to IBTimes UK. The precise ratio of cafés to total stores remains unclear from public sources, but about 4.4% of the 316 food stores are affected by café closures.

The company also operates new-format coffee shops featuring fresh food and barista-made Fairtrade coffee, including an outlet at Bristol’s Cabot Circus. These newer formats may not be counted in the same category as traditional cafés, which complicates the total count further.

Post-closure estimates

After the current wave of closures concludes, M&S will likely have fewer than 300 active café locations—if that figure was accurate before the closures began. The modernisation programme, which includes opening 16 new stores and renewing 12 more, may introduce new café formats even as older ones close.

Deutsche Bank analysts estimated an immediate £30 million profit loss plus approximately £15 million in additional weekly lost profit during the cyberattack disruption, according to BlackFog. The cyberattack wiped roughly £750 million off M&S’s market value at one point. These figures contextualise why M&S is moving aggressively on both recovery and modernisation.

The pattern suggests M&S is accepting short-term losses from closures and the cyberattack in exchange for a leaner, more focused store format suited to how people shop in 2026.

Do M&S Foods have a cafe?

Yes—M&S Foodhalls have traditionally included café spaces, though that model is now changing. The cafés sit within the foodhall area, offering customers a place to sit with food purchased from the store or, in some cases, a small café menu of their own. As M&S repurpose café space to expand bakery counters, takeaway coffee stations, and food-to-go ranges, the distinction between “café” and “foodhall” is blurring.

Foodhall café features

M&S Foodhall cafés have historically offered hot drinks, light meals, and snacks in a sit-down setting. The Mission Munch kids meal, priced at £4.50, is a standout offer in these café spaces—a family-friendly deal that has resonated with parents shopping at M&S. The café areas also serve as informal meeting spots, which has been part of their appeal.

Customer reviews on platforms like Tripadvisor give some location scores. The M&S café in Dublin, for example, holds a 3.3/5 rating based on visitor feedback, suggesting the café experience has been adequate rather than exceptional in customer perception.

Menu highlights

The M&S café menu typically includes barista-made coffees, teas, pastries, sandwiches, and seasonal specials. October 2025 brought café menu updates that refined the offering. The Mission Munch kids meal at £4.50 remains one of the most competitively priced child meals available in a UK supermarket café setting. Beyond the café-specific menu, the broader M&S foodhall offers an extensive range of prepared foods, salads, and bakery items that can be taken away.

We want to give customers more of what they come to us for: great food, quickly.

— Katie Whelan, M&S Regional Manager, via Ground News

The implication is that M&S sees the café not as a destination in itself but as an extension of the foodhall shopping trip—a place to consume what you just bought, not a reason to visit separately.

How much is a coffee at M&S Cafe?

M&S café coffee prices vary by drink type and size, but a standard filter coffee or espresso-based drink typically falls within the range of other major UK supermarket cafés. Updated pricing for 2026 reflects ongoing costs, though M&S has not published a single unified price list for all café locations.

Pricing details

Based on available customer reports and menu information, standard coffees at M&S cafés are priced competitively with Tesco café and Sainsbury’s café offerings. The exact price depends on whether you’re ordering a simple filter coffee or a barista-style latte or cappuccino. M&S has also introduced new coffee shops featuring fresh food and barista-made Fairtrade coffee at locations like Bristol’s Cabot Circus, which may carry slightly different pricing than traditional in-store cafés.

Menu overview

The broader M&S café and foodhall menu spans hot drinks, cold drinks, pastries, sandwiches, salads, and seasonal items. Prices are updated periodically, and October 2025 brought the most recent menu adjustments. The £4.50 Mission Munch kids meal continues to be a highlight for families, while the adult offerings range from simple coffees to more substantial brunch items.

What this means is that regular M&S café visitors should expect a shift away from the full sit-down experience toward quick-service formats that prioritise speed over ambiance.

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