Marks and Spencer is to close its Lewisham High Street store as part of a wide ranging restructuring of its shops.
M&S has been transforming its stores since 2019, investing in brand new stores and food halls but closing a host of unprofitable outlets.
The company says the closure of many high street stores is a result of a drop in footfall and rising costs.
M&S is seeing a shift to bigger more efficient shops, several in out of town retail parks, and to online retailing.
No closure date has been announced for the Lewisham store but it is expected within the next 12 months. Around 100 staff jobs are at risk.
Unions and local councillors have called for urgent discussions with M&S to mitigate impacts on the community.
There is growing local concern that the closure of M&S will mean a further erosion of the Lewisham shopping centre’s vitality.
The closure comes as Landsec, the UK’s biggest property developer, plans an ambitious redevelopment of the shopping centre which will include around 1,700 new homes and a large park built on the roof of the new centre.
M&S’s recent overall business performance has seen strong growth in food sales but slowdowns in clothing and homeware.
M&S said Lewisham customers would be able to use nearby branches in Blackheath and Bromley if the closure does go ahead.
It said it would be looking for a suitable location for a food store in the area.