In the wake of the news that Marks & Spencer is leaving another Scottish high street, columnist Marissa MacWhirter asks what it means for the middle-class dream in Scotland.

We should be used to it by now, but the announcement that Marks & Spencer is abandoning another Scottish high street is still a gut punch.

The fist, filled with the usual excuse of changing shopping habits, was aimed squarely at the belly of its location on King Street in Kilmarnock, leaving us with a year to wonder whether the wind will be knocked out of the town centre once and for all when it closes in winter 2026.

Now, the retailer is not abandoning the East Ayrshire town entirely. A spokesperson for Marks & Spencer confirmed that they are relocating to a brand new store around two miles away at the Queens Drive Retail Park. The shiny new outlet promises to be modern with a 62.5 per cent larger food hall and an improved shopping environment.

Soulless retail parks with expansive, windswept car parks are simply better business than ageing high street units. But by chasing higher footfall and sales efficiency, Marks & Spencer is giving up its status as a civic institution. Every time the company closes a high street store, those big empty buildings loom over the town centre, a reminder of........

© Herald Scotland