MARKS and Spencer is consulting on plans to close its store in Golden Square Shopping Centre.

But the company confirmed that all 95 staff at the store would be guaranteed a job at either the Gemini Retail Park branch or the Marks and Spencer food shop in Stockton Heath.

If the plans are approved the town centre branch would close its doors for good in June.

Planning permission was granted for Marks and Spencer to move into Golden Square in 1977 and the shopping centre development opened in 1979.

This afternoon council bosses say they are calling for Marks and Spencer to think again about the decision.

Pete Swallow, regional manager for Merseyside and Cheshire at Marks and Spencer, said: “Proposing to close the store was a difficult, but necessary, decision and not one we have taken lightly.

“It is now important we work closely with our colleagues on the consultation. If the closure goes ahead it is our intention that nobody would leave Marks and Spencer.

“We are committed to offering our customers the very best in Cheshire and the north west and with Marks and Spencer Gemini we have one of the biggest stores in the UK, four miles from the Warrington store, and a popular food hall in Stockton Heath, two miles away.”

The brand is planning to shut six branches across the country, including shops in Portsmouth, Monks Cross, Wokingham and Slough, as part of a review of all its stores.

But it will open an extra 200 shops selling only food.

Chief executive Steve Rowe said: "Each proposal we make will be very carefully considered with our colleagues and customers firmly front of mind.

"It is our intention that nobody leaves Marks and Spencer and we will work as hard as possible to ensure that we can deliver against this promise.

“However, our customers’ shopping habits are changing.

"Picking up food for now or tonight rather than doing one big shop or browsing and shopping online and collecting in store are great examples of this and we are committed to adapting our business so that we stay in tune with our customers."

Ian Cox, director of Golden Square, said: “Whilst this news is obviously disappointing, Golden Square is constantly in active discussions with a number of national retailers with a view to joining our offering here.

“We will of course keep shoppers and the community informed as soon as we are able.”

Usdaw, the trade union representing shop workers, said Marks and Spencer's employees are 'extremely concerned' about their futures following the announcement.

David Gill from the union urged the company to work with the union and said: "Staff in all Marks and Spencer stores were extremely concerned about what the future holds when the company announced a wide-ranging store reorganisation last November, without saying where the axe will fall by detailing which stores are set to close.

"Today we’ve seen the first six announced, which is devastating news for the staff in those stores, but the uncertainty continues for everyone else.

"We are providing our members with the support and representation they require throughout this difficult time."

Posh barbeque food, bras and dine in deals? Click here for some of the things we will miss when M&S closes. 

We headed to the town centre to get shoppers' reaction to the news during a Facebook Live video. Here's what they had to say: