Three Lincolnshire Marks and Spencer stores close down
Marks and Spencer stores in three Lincolnshire towns are closing with the loss of 110 jobs.
The company took the decision to close branches in Grantham, Skegness and Scunthorpe in August last year.
Campaigns to keep the stores were started in all three towns with more than 20,000 signatures on a petition collected in Skegness.
But Marks and Spencer said years of falling sales meant the stores were no longer commercially viable.
About 110 posts will be affected when the stores close on Thursday.
Grantham County Councillor Richard Davies said: "Market towns are changing. We've got destination stores but they are not in the town centre.
"What we are going through is the painful period of what we think of as a town centre changing."
Mayor of Skegness Sue Binch said: "We've got to look to the future and try and entice other big businesses to look at that Skegness store. It's a sad day but now we've got to look to the future.
Marks and Spencer said that it had consulted with employees and had listened carefully to their views and suggestions.
It added it had also listened to the views of local residents but none of the proposed alternatives it received would have made the stores commercially viable.