MARKS and Spencer is set to open three new shops including one “megastore” just in time for Christmas.
It’s part of the posh retailer’s plan to dozens of new full range stores and food halls this financial year.
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Cities like Leeds and Liverpool have already become home to new M&S stores this year.
And now, shoppers in Manchester, Birmingham and Uckfield, East Sussex, will be thrilled to learn that they don’t have to wait much longer for their new stores to open.
These new shops will all contain clothing, homeware, cafes and food halls.
M&S’ new shop in Manchester’s Trafford Centre will takeover the former Debenhams building, which has been empty since May 2021.
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The brand new megastore will be 135,000 sq ft, while it’s current Trafford Centre site covers just 87,000 sq ft.
It’s set to open in late November, meaning shoppers will be able to browse the retailer’s Christmas selection in the build up to the festive season.
It comes after Marks and Spencer revealed its huge, new Christmas menu, including party food and a new Colin the Caterpillar cake.
The new M&S in the Bullring, Birmingham, will also occupy a former Debehmans site and will open before the end of the year.
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To make way for the new store, M&S will close its store in Birmingham High Street, but an exact date is yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, the new M&S store in Uckfield will also open later this year.
The high street chain says the new branch will have a “market-feel” with a selection of cheeses, as well as displays of produce from M&S select farms.
The Sun has asked M&S for an exact date for these store openings and we will update this story as soon as we hear back.
Alongside these openings, M&S is launching four more new stores before the end of the year. They are as follows:
- Barnsley – expected Autumn 2023
- Earlsfield – autumn 2023
- Lakeside Thurrock – Winter 2023
- Largs – expected Winter 2023
Earlier this year, M&S revealed that it will permanently shut ten of its stores and relocate more shops this year.
The full list of M&S closures that have taken place so far this year can be seen below:
- East Kilbride – closed in February
- Fenchurch Street, London – March
- Meadowbank Retail Park in Edinburgh – April
- Castleford – April
- Bolton – April
- Cardiff – April
- Manchester – August
Plus, The M&S stores in The Brunel Shopping Centre in Swindon and Weymouth, Dorest, have also been marked for closure.
Both shops remain open and are operating as normal.
M&S plans to operate 180 full-line and 400 food halls in the next five years.
The new openings will bring investment in new stores to £480million, M&S said in May.
It will also be investing in its digital offering, with the rollout of click-and-collect to 130 stores across the UK.
Meanwhile, M&S isn’t the only retailer looking to expand.
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Primark recently opened a new shop in Sailsbury in September and completed a refurbishment on its store in Edinburgh’s Princes Street.
Plus, bargain retailer Poundland has opened dozens of new sites.
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