An announcement is believed to have been made to staff this morning.

The store in Commercial Road will close on April 14. All 135 colleagues who work at the store will be moving to nearby stores.

One employee said: "It is a bit of a bombshell. We were aware the company was looking at downsizing generally, and concentrating on the food side of things.

"But this is shocking."

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A spokesperson for the company said the closure is part of M&S’s programme to modernise its UK store estate to better meet the changing needs of customers.

Sacha Berendji, director of Retail at Marks & Spencer, said: “We’re committed to transforming M&S for our customers, colleagues and shareholders. Stores will always be an integral part of our customer experience, alongside M&S.com, but we have to ensure we have the right offer in the right locations.

“We believe these changes are vital for the future of M&S and we will continue to accelerate the programme, taking tough but necessary decisions, as we focus on making M&S special.”

Aaron Spicer, M&S Head of Region for Wessex, said: “Closing our store on Commercial Road is not a decision we have taken lightly. We value the loyalty of our customers in the area and know that some of them will be disappointed by the news. I’m pleased our colleagues from the store will be staying with us and we are committed to delivering the very best of M&S for our customers.”

Nearby stores include Westbourne Simply Food, M&S Castlepoint, and the new Foodhall in Broadstone.

As well as Commercial Road in Bournemouth, M&S has announced five other stores that will close by the end of April and eight that are proposed for closure.