Marks & Spencer has had a handful of successful collaborations with British celebrities like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Alexa Chung. When Gareth Southgate, who coached the English national soccer team to an unexpected berth in the semifinals of the World Cup this summer, showed up on the sideline wearing a buttoned-up waistcoat, social media lit up with the news that it was a Marks & Spencer original. It prompted a run on stores.

But few of the retailer’s more fashion forward collaborations have created much of a stir with millennials, who opt for the likes of Zara. And middle-age and older shoppers continue to grumble about a sliding quality of fabric and fit in many of the classic items on which M & S made its name.



Mr. Rose said he felt that chasing young consumers had hastened the recent downward spiral at M & S. The key to the golden gate, he said, are women, who buy all the ladies’ wear, most of the children’s wear and half the men’s wear, as well as home goods.

“Keep the middle-class housewives happy and give them what they want and M & S will get itself back on track,” Mr. Rose said.

In Stockton, the departure of M & S has dealt a heavy blow to those who depended on its presence in the town center for more than 100 years.

“M & S has been an important part of this community for a long time,” Mr. Harland, the 84-year-old customer, said. “We’ve seen a lot of shops shut over the years, though there has been some investment into the town, too. Still, M & S was never one I thought we would see go.”