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At its meeting on 24 April 2026, Newport City Council heard a question from Councillor Al-Nuaimi about the planned closure of the M&S store at Friars Walk in June 2026, the proposed closure of River Island, and the state of the city centre. Councillors Batrouni and Clarke replied that the closures were commercial decisions by national retailers, and they listed events, new businesses and population and footfall figures. The minute records no decision.
Councillor Al-Nuaimi asked: Addressed to Leader of the Council & Cabinet Member for Regeneration Background. I refer to the recent and very disappointing news, in relation to the proposed closure of M & S at Friars Walk in June 2026, as notified to members of the Council by the management of the Store. The disappointment is compounded by other proposed closures, namely the proposed closure of River Island and possibly ‘Next’. Though it seems the latter may have decided to extend its lease to stay in the city centre. While acknowledging these are private businesses, which are entitled to make their own commercial decisions, such decisions to close are hardly the ringing endorsements of the much-awaited bright prospects for the city of Newport. The much talked-about economic prosperity and significance of Newport as a rising city in Wales and the UK, do not seem to meet the optimism, Council members hear and posts on social media indicate. These, constantly tell of a Newport’s footfall that’s showing significant rises from year to year. We are told also that Newport is becoming a huge centre for the Semiconductor and technological industries of tomorrow. If all that was true, then it should reflect on businesses wanting to stay in the city centre, not closing, or moving away. Against this background Can the Leader and/ or the Cabinet Member for regeneration provide answers to the following questions: • Was the Council notified of M&S intention to close their store in Friars Walk and if so when? • Were there discussions with the store to try and encourage them to consider staying in the city centre at their present location, or with an offer of a reduced lease at an alternative location, e.g. Kingsway? • Please provide a summary the outcomes of those discussions. The city centre does suffer from the unmistaken appearance of a seriously declining retail area and there is a visible lack of footfall at what should be busy times during the week and weekends. These happen despite the claims to the contrary. Please provide a summary of the specific plans proposed by the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet, to arrest this damaging visible decline and to list the steps taken to improve the commercial vitality aimed at the projection of a much busier ambience to be seen in Newport City. Councillors Batrouni and Clarke responded: Unfortunately, decisions made by national retailers to restructure their business models has resulted in the loss of local stores. The decision by M&S is very disappointing but is reflective of the decision made by the retailer to close a number of stores nationally, including their Swansea city centre store. Similarly, River Island has taken the decision to close more than 30 of its stores. It is important to acknowledge that this decision is not just specific to Newport. The Council was made aware of the decision to close the Friar’s Walk store on 7th April. Myself and Cllr Clarke met with representatives of the company on 10th April and they confirmed that the closure of the Friar’s Walk store, along with other identified stores nationally, was a commercial decision. It is not helpful to speculate on ‘who is next’. This undermines confidence in the city centre when it is our role to support business and amenities for our residents. What we should be promoting are all the independent businesses we have in the city centre, which far outnumber the national chains and need our full support. We should also be promoting the new businesses which have opened recently, including The Underground. Little Kingdom and Senor Littles in the Kingsway centre, Fowl and Fury in the Newport Market, High Score on Upper Dock Street, The Circle in Market Street, and not forgetting recent announcements on a new restaurant at the former Tiny Rebel premises on High Street, and the proposed market within the Kingsway centre. Like it or not, it is a fact that Newport has the fastest growing population in Wales and it is also a fact that footfall in the city centre increased during 2025, bucking the trend compared to Welsh and UK figures. We have unique cultural and leisure facilities across the city and our events programme draws visitors into the city centre from far and wide. We have seen a number of projects delivered through the Placemaking Plan with more to come. As elected members we should all be championing our local businesses and the city in general.
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