Marks & Spencer faces a major overhaul. Over the next five years more than 80 stores will be shut; 30 in the UK and the rest abroad. It’s part of plans to reduce reliance on its poorly performing clothing business, and focus more on food sales.

The decision has got our readers talking, and many of you took part in a callout on the best and worst of what M&S has to offer. Here are a selection of the responses, add yours in the comments.

Nicola Miller, 50, east of England: ‘M&S has forgotten why people go there: fundamentals, such as good cotton tights’

My favourite Marks & Spencer products have always been the food, lingerie and sleepwear, as well as basic accessories – scarves, hats and gloves. I am less keen on the new Per Una range because it looks like the clothes have been sprayed with glue and rolled through a haberdashery store. It’s also a shame that they don’t stock the Alexa Chung range (and the other more fashion-forward ranges) in provincial shops.

I believe that in M&S’s pursuit of the fashion and cultural zeitgeist the store has forgotten the core reason people shop there: fundamentals, such as a perfectly cut navy sweater, cotton tights that wash well and don’t sag, etc. It’s a store that’s always been there, in the background, and formerly a benchmark for a certain kind of quality, but that’s not the case any more. Many of their clothes are now badly made (the tights ladder and bobble) and there’s just something off about their design. I also find their shops hard to navigate. I often give up in irritation because wading through 20 rails of seemingly identical black work skirts is a waste of my time.

Annette Graat, 60, Maastricht: ‘It’s a popular store in the Netherlands. I like the scones’

I read today that M&S plans to shut 53 international stores, including all its shops in the Netherlands. This is really disappointing because the food department is great as it offers lots of products we don’t usually get here. I like their traditionally British foods, such as scones, and all their nice meats. The clothes are a bit traditional and not really exciting, however. They are also a bit overpriced, but I will definitely miss the food. I also feel it’s a missed opportunity as lots of people in this area could be potential customers and many are upset about the closure. I read a Twitter post today from a food blogger in the Netherlands who said: “No, not more bad news!”

Gregory Baser, 58, Plymouth: ‘The sizing has really changed over the years, which is frustrating’

I love the Sparks card and its targeted promotions, the underpants and socks, the trousers (especially the coloured ones). I like the suits. I am a loyal customer and have shopped there for more than 45 years, but even though I am a fan of the clothing I do feel it’s got worse over time. For example, with the shirts there are now much less options in terms of colour. Also the sizing has really changed over the years, and shirts I bought years ago that were XXLs are XXXLs today. Being forced up a size means there’s less on offer for me in terms of variety.

Marks & Spencer’s takeaway food is its strongest food selling point, but the lunchtime deals have got a bit more complicated. There’s now more on offer but that shouldn’t be at the detriment of losing classics, such as the cheese and tomato ones. They offer a nice in-store bakery in their main branch in Plymouth but sometimes the portions aren’t big enough.

I am disappointed that they are giving up on a lot of their clothes stores overall. I know it must be difficult with stores like Primark opening up but they used to be really great. And it felt like they were taking some steps in the right direction, for example by sorting out their website.

Stephanie Wong, 38, London: ‘The only person the Alexa Chung range looks good on is, well, Alexa Chung’

They do the best lunch salads of any high-street chain. And all the fruit, sweets, drinks – basically, if you want a posh picnic in the summer you can’t beat M&S. It will cost a bomb though. Baby and children’s clothes, socks and underpants are always reliable, and good value.

They do some really lovely textured, super comfortable sleepwear too. I have these lightweight lounge pants that I am obsessed with. The crockery is also good value and reasonable quality. Their women’s daytime clothing range, however, is still terrible. The only person the Alexa Chung range looks good on is, well, Alexa Chung. On any average-sized woman, her whole range looks frumpy.

I don’t know who “Mrs M&S” is, but the poor woman has been wearing hideous T-shirts and cardigans in lurid tomato reds and hideous deep electric blues in stiff cotton for far too long. I would love it if M&S refocused its clothing line for women on “basics” along the lines of its children’s range. They could also take a leaf out of H&M in terms of basic design standards, fabrics and versatile colours. Or just copy their underpants, sock and children’s clothes, to be honest. Just don’t touch the children’s clothes, they are so good.

Callum, 35, Merseyside: ‘The high-quality food products are what makes M&S so brilliant’

M&S food products are brilliant and noticeably higher quality than many other food retailers for the most part. This is their strongest area. They do also have extremely well-designed homeware. This leaves their clothing ranges as the weaker link, but they definitely serve a core audience. Their attempts at chasing a younger market haven’t worked but it would be a shame if their ranges were removed completely. It seems like they need simpler and fewer ranges, with a clearer target market.

It would be sad to see stores close. As a British person it is reassuring to see M&S stores in other countries, particularly when buying food. Hopefully this will remain unaltered. I’ve shopped at M&S for more than 10 years, my family always went there and as a young child I was fascinated by their attractive packaging and well-designed food ranges. Their home products have become more contemporary and attractive, and much more informed by Scandinavian design, which is a good thing. Much of their range is similar to the likes of Habitat. So it has definitely changed and very much kept at the forefront of demand. Their staff are also considerably better than many other stores, and it’s good to see that they employ so many people that clearly have experience and manners.

Megan Peel, 38, Harrogate: ‘I used to shop at M&S food but don’t now – their food is so over-packaged to me’

The only items I now really buy at M&S are clothes for my one-year-old. They are exactly what I want in terms of fabrics and patterns, but when I look for clothes for my four-year-old there’s much less on offer. It’s not stylish and it looks cheaper. I used to shop regularly at M&S food but I don’t any more as their food feels so over-packaged to me. They claim to be sustainable but how can they be when all their food is wrapped in so much plastic? So I shop less at M&S than I used to. I would definitely never shop for women’s clothes there: the price of their clothes is up there with the likes of Jigsaw, but the experience of shopping at Jigsaw is much better. Shopping in supermarkets is not nearly as nice. Strategically, I feel they are missing a massive opportunity; with British Home Stores closing they could champion British retail by promoting young British designers. They could also do more of their manufacturing in the UK.

Anonymous, 46, Sheffield: ‘ I have been forced to shop elsewhere for knickers for the first time in my life’

My current gripes about M&S are as follows:

• They no longer seem to stock ordinary cotton knickers in a variety of styles.
  
• All of their individual knickers that are not part of a matching set seem to be nylon.
• You can only buy cotton knickers in bags of five, with very few styles/colours to choose from.

The choice is so poor that I have been forced to shop elsewhere for knickers for the first time in my life. I never thought this would happen and I hate it. Their women’s clothing range is an incoherent mess. They seem to be trying to be all things to all people. They should get back to offering classic pieces for each season, reducing the number of stock items, and presenting them as outfits in the stores instead of just hanging all the trousers together, etc. I’m sick of having to schlep around the store to see if they have a scarf to match a jumper.

The quality of the finish needs to improve markedly. I am tired of hems coming down and buttons falling off. I have had to pay for two zips to be replaced on faulty M&S garments this year. I would gladly pay a bit more for better quality.

It seems sensible to focus on the successful part of the business – food – but this ignores the fact that M&S should be a clothing retailer, not a supermarket. They need to reconnect with their core customers and offer good quality pieces to middle-aged women, rather than trying to compete for the Topshop/Zara market.