The union representing Marks & Spencer staff has expressed shock at news that the retailer could close even more stores than initially proposed.

Speaking to shareholders at the AGM earlier this week, M&S chairman Archie Norman and chief executive Steve Rowe both hinted there could be more store closures as part of the company's radical turnaround scheme, as reported by Retail Gazette.

Norman said the size of the M&S store portfolio was pulling down the retailer's performance and refused to say if the store closure plan announced in May would be the last.

Marks & Spencer has three stores in Cheltenham, two stores in Gloucester, one in Cirencester and a number of forecourt stores around the county. It is not yet clear whether any of them are at risk of closure.

Meanwhile, Rowe confirmed there were likely to be more redundancies, as a result of plans to cut costs by £350 million by 2021.

Shop workers union, Usdaw, said M&S management were not treating staff with the dignity and respect they deserved. It said there had been a breakdown in communication and the company's 70,000 staff were not being properly consulted on the future of their jobs.

To save cash, M&S has slowed down its Simply Food expansion, improved its IT systems and shut down some warehouses in its distribution network.

The company announced in May that it planned to close 100 stores by 2022, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

M&S recorded a 62.1 per cent fall in pre-tax profit  to £66.8 million in the year to 31st March, largely due to £321.1 million in costs linked to store closures.