Recovering retail giant M&S is “significantly accelerating its store rotation” programme with 16 new, nine extended and 12 renewed stores opening this financial year, using investment of over £300 million.
Reuters
In the past year it completed 47 property deals as it filled up its store rotation pipeline, more than the previous three years combined.
As part of this, it aims to have 180 full-line, as well as 420 food halls, serving its 32 million customers by the end of FY28, and over 300 new locations are being considered for new stores across the UK.
Of the 16 new stores opening this financial year, two of them are full-line stores and two of them are in outlet destinations.
And an example of the existing stores being transformed is the space in the popular Nugent Shopping Park in Orpington,North Kent. What had been two neighbouring M&S stores, one focused on food and the other on fashion and beauty, will be radically expanded having taken over neighbouring units.
The original stores closed last month and will reopen later this summer as an all-new, very much larger, combined store. The food hall is being enlarged and upgraded and a new spacious fashion and beauty layout will be seen across two floors. This will offer womenswear, menswear, kidswear and a beauty section.
