MARKS and Spencer is leaving Greenock’s Oak Mall for a move to the Port Glasgow retail park, the Tele can reveal.

The retail giant plans to move some time next year, and says all existing workers will be asked to transfer, while an unspecified number of new jobs will be created at a café in the new store.

M&S declined to say if any special commercial deals had been offered to encourage them to pull out of their long established Greenock store and join Aldi, B&M, TK Maxx and Watt Brothers at the Clydebuilt retail park in the Port as part of the £40 million latest phase of the development.

A spokeswoman said: “We have taken the decision to re-locate to Port Glasgow, where we can offer a better shopping experience for our customers. Our colleagues will transfer to their new store, and bring with them all their passion, expertise and experience.”

The Greenock shop opened in what was Hamilton Street on December 4, 1936.

M&S rent the premises on a lease, but would not say how long it still had to run.

Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan today admitted he was disappointed by the move. He said: “It’s something we’ve been fearing for some time. I had continued to make representations to the company, sending correspondence to them back in April and June, as I was under the impression it was still commercially viable.

“Last month, I met with Oak Mall representatives to discuss the shopping centre and their plans for the future. I came away from the meeting hopeful that plans were in place to expand and grow the centre.”

Mr Cowan added: “It’s heartening to receive assurances from M&S that all employees working at the Greenock store will be offered jobs at Port Glasgow. I’m sure the new store will prove popular with customers and the café will be a good addition.

“Nevertheless, to lose one of the flagship stores in the Oak Mall is a bitter blow.”

Port councillor and Depute Provost David Wilson believes the retail park proved too good an attraction for M&S to turn down.

He said: “Parking has become incredibly difficult in the town centre of Greenock, and I can understand why M&S want to move because of the easier access to shops at a retail park.

“My constituents in Kilmacolm and Port Glasgow will welcome the move, as will people who live near Inverclyde and will be more inclined to shop at M&S in the retail park.”

Oak Mall management made a failed bid last year to prevent councillors giving permission for the Port park to expand any further, claiming a fifth of their tenants could be wiped out.

Iain Minto, on behalf of M&M Property Asset Management LLP, said then that they bought the Oak Mall in 2014 for £35m, and had a full project team developing ideas for further improvements.

Speaking at the time he added: “We believe that, if this development goes ahead, we will lose 20 per cent of our existing tenants by floor area to the retail park, the retail provision in Oak Mall will shrink by a third and the town itself will lose all the remaining regional and national retailers.

“In other words, there will not be more income and jobs created, purely a displacement of economic activity which will have a disastrous effect on Greenock and the remainder of Inverclyde.”