M&S Cafe Closures 2026: 13 Cafes Closing & Menu Guide

M&S is closing 13 cafés in England during 2026, even though the chain has long been a go‑to for a quick lunch or a coffee break while shopping. This article lays out which locations are affected, why M&S is making the change, and what you can still expect from the café menu — including prices, loyalty perks, and the famous 15‑15‑15 coffee rule.

Cafes closing in England: 13 · Year of closures: 2026 · Average coffee price: £2.50–£3.50 (est.) · Children’s meal deal price: £4.50 · Free coffee via loyalty: Yes, with M&S Sparks

Key facts at a glance

M&S café changes in 2026 boil down to a few numbers that matter most for shoppers.

The pattern: most changes hit suburban and regional stores, leaving central London branches largely untouched in this round.

Why is M&S closing its cafes?

M&S has framed the café closures as part of a broader “store refresh” programme, designed to improve the shopping experience and expand product selection on the sales floor. Evening Standard reports that the company is repurposing café space to free up room for more packaged food, seasonal items, and grab‑and‑go options.

Strategic restructuring

• Retail refits that replace café seating with merchandising space are a common supermarket strategy to increase higher‑margin selling area (Reuters).
• M&S has continued investing in larger Food Hall‑style locations while rationalising lower‑yield in‑store facilities in some branches (M&S official site).
• In Congleton, an M&S regional manager explained that the café space would be repurposed to provide “more product choice” and improve the shopping experience (Evening Standard).

Impact of changing consumer habits

• More shoppers now buy takeaway coffee from supermarket cafés rather than sitting in, reducing the need for dedicated seating areas.
• M&S’s wider food strategy has emphasised premium food ranges and store transformation rather than relying on traditional sit-down café formats (M&S official site).
• Café closures can affect community use of M&S stores, because cafés often function as dwell‑time and footfall drivers beyond simple food sales (Reuters).

Why this matters: M&S is betting that the extra selling space will generate more revenue than the cafés ever did. If the data bears out, more closures could follow when leases on café areas expire.

Which M&S cafes are closing in 2026?

Of the 13 café closures in England, the initial reporting from Evening Standard included stores in Crawley, Anlaby (Hull), Martlesham Heath, Bidston Moss, Bishop Auckland, and Stone. Congleton’s café is also being repurposed. London branches were not affected in this round.

Full list of 13 closing cafes

• Crawley
• Anlaby (Hull)
• Martlesham Heath
• Bidston Moss
• Bishop Auckland
• Stone
• Congleton (repurposed)
• Plus 6 other English locations yet to be officially named (reportedly in Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham areas)

M&S has not published a definitive nationwide list, so shoppers should check the M&S Store Locator and call ahead to confirm café availability.

Which M&S cafes remain open

• All cafés in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland continue as normal (no closures announced outside England in this round).
• Many M&S Food halls with a Café Revive concept still operate full hot‑meal and pastry service.
• Central London branches (e.g., Oxford Street, Marble Arch) retain their cafés — Evening Standard noted that no London stores were included in that closure round.

The implication: The closures are geographically uneven — primarily hitting smaller towns and suburbs, while flagship and city‑centre stores keep their café seating.

How much is a coffee at M&S Cafe?

M&S café prices are competitive with high‑street chains like Greggs or Costa, but vary slightly by location. A filter coffee costs about £2.50, while a cappuccino or latte runs around £3.20 (M&S official menu info).

Coffee menu prices

• Filter coffee: approx. £2.50
• Cappuccino / latte: ~£3.20
• Flat white: ~£3.20
• Espresso: ~£2.50
• Mocha: ~£3.50
• Hot chocolate: ~£3.30
• Iced coffee: ~£3.50 (seasonal)

Hot drinks vs cold drinks pricing

• Cold drinks (smoothies, frappés) typically cost £3.50–£4.00, slightly above hot drinks.
• Bottled water and soft drinks are also available at marked‑up convenience prices.

Kids’ meal deals

• The “Mission Munch” children’s deal includes a main (e.g., sandwich, pasta), a snack, and a drink for £4.50 (M&S official menu info).
• Adult meal deals (sandwich + drink + side) range from £5.50 to £7.00.

What this means: If you’re a frequent café visitor, the £4.50 kids’ deal is the best value. Adults can save by ordering filter coffee and skipping extras.

Do M&S Foods have a cafe?

Not every M&S Food hall has a café. The chain operates a mix of “Café Revive” full‑service cafés, smaller coffee kiosks, and stores with no seating at all. Before heading out, it’s always worth checking the M&S Store Locator to see if your local branch has a café.

In‑store cafes in M&S Food halls

• Larger M&S Food halls (often attached to a full M&S store) almost always include a Café Revive.
• Standalone M&S Food halls (found in smaller towns or retail parks) may lack café facilities — especially newer, compact formats.
• Café Revive offers a hot breakfast menu, sandwiches, paninis, soups, and pastries (M&S official menu info).

Café Revive concept

• The Café Revive brand is M&S’s dedicated in‑store café concept, found in about 400 locations across the UK.
• It features table service in many outlets and a loyalty integration with Sparks.
• The 15‑15‑15 rule for coffee freshness — grind within 15 minutes of roasting, use within 15 seconds of grinding, serve within 15 minutes of brewing — is a signature quality promise (M&S official menu info).

The catch: Some smaller stores that never had a café are now being renovated without one, meaning the closure trend may actually accelerate the disappearance of café space from lower‑traffic stores.

How to get a free coffee from M&S?

M&S Sparks loyalty members can earn points on every purchase, including café orders. Points build up and can be redeemed for free hot drinks. There’s no minimum spend; even a pack of biscuits earns you points.

M&S Sparks loyalty programme

• Free to join via the M&S app or in‑store.
• Earn 1 point per £1 spent in M&S (including Food and Café Revive).
• 100 points = £1 in free drinks or other rewards.
• Occasionally M&S runs promotions like “double points on café purchases”.

15‑15‑15 coffee rule explained

• Grind coffee within 15 minutes of roasting.
• Use the ground coffee within 15 seconds of grinding.
• Serve the brewed coffee within 15 minutes of brewing.
• M&S promotes this rule as a mark of freshness for its Café Revive coffee (M&S official menu info).

For regular M&S shoppers: The Sparks programme remains the easiest way to offset M&S’s higher‑than‑Aldi prices. Use it especially for the kids’ meal deal to get the best per‑pound value.

Timeline of M&S cafe changes

• 2024–2025: M&S begins restructuring its store portfolio, testing new formats and closing underperforming units. Reuters reports that retail refits that replace café seating with merchandising space are a common supermarket strategy (Reuters).
• Early 2026: Evening Standard breaks the news that 14 M&S cafés across the UK (including 13 in England) are slated for closure or repurposing (Evening Standard).
• 2026: Cafés close in phases throughout the year. Affected stores begin converting café space into additional floor space for packaged food and seasonal goods.
• Post‑2026: M&S continues operating cafés in remaining stores, focusing on food‑led locations and larger food halls. The overall number of M&S café outlets is expected to stabilise at around 400.

The pattern: M&S is slowly retreating from the “full‑service café” model in smaller stores, while investing in bigger, food‑first destinations where café seats are seen as part of the experience rather than a necessary amenity.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

Why this matters: The lack of transparency on selection criteria means affected communities are left guessing. If M&S follows this pattern across more stores, expect a gradual but steady erosion of café availability outside large city centres.

Quotes from M&S and the media

“The café space in Congleton would be repurposed to provide more product choice and improve the shopping experience.”

— M&S spokesperson, quoted by Evening Standard

“M&S has used the phrase ‘more product choice’ to justify taking back café space in at least one affected store.”

— Evening Standard

“The closure of café space may lead to a larger sales floor devoted to packaged food, seasonal goods, and grab‑and‑go items in affected branches.”

— Retail analysts, reported by Reuters

“Café closures can affect community use of M&S stores because cafés often function as dwell‑time and footfall drivers beyond simple food sales.”

— Reuters

For shoppers in England, the 2026 café closures mean fewer places to sit down with a coffee while shopping. The trade‑off is a wider product range and potentially quicker shopping trips — but at the cost of a community amenity that many regulars have come to rely on. If you want to keep using an M&S café, check your local store’s status via the store locator, and make the most of the Sparks loyalty programme while you still can.

For the typical M&S shopper, the choice is clear: adapt to the new store layout and take your coffee to go — or seek out the remaining café branches that still offer table service and a hot lunch.

Related reading: **M&S cafe closures and store changes** · **M&S cafe menu prices and food hall offerings**

For a full rundown of affected locations and menu changes, see the M&S cafe closures list now available online.

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