M&S is investing £38m in two new flagship full-line stores in Bristol and Bath.
The new £21m store at Cabot Circus in Bristol is to be 80,000 sq ft and is expected to make up to 150 jobs. The other store, costing £17m, is a relocation to Bath’s SouthGate and is set to be 83,000 sq ft.
Both are to offer M&S food, beauty and clothing ranges.
The Cabot Circus branch will complement M&S’s existing stores across Bristol in Avonmeads, Eastgate, Imperial Park and Whiteladies Road, as well as Cribbs Causeway and Longwell Green.
The SouthGate store will see staff given the opportunity to relocate from the shop it is replacing, on Stall Street, which is to trade until the new site opens.
The planned stores were announced today by M&S CEO Stuart Machin in response to a shareholder question at the retailer’s AGM.
“It’s brilliant to be announcing our return to Bristol city centre today,” said Machin. “At Cabot Circus, we’re able to create a flagship store which delivers the best possible shopping experience for customers and showcases the very best of M&S.
“Our store rotation programme is all about ensuring we have the right stores in the right place and with the right space to excite and inspire our customers, including in city centres. This £21m investment will allow us to do just that while expanding our footprint across the south west.”
On the planned Bath store he added: “We want to offer the best possible shopping experience for customers every single time they shop with us. This new £17m investment in a flagship Bath store means we can deliver on that promise and secure M&S’ future in the city.
“We’ve seen great results so far where we have relocated stores, in city centres like Liverpool and Birmingham, helping us to attract new customers and giving us the confidence to go faster with the strategy.”
Both new stores are among four full-line branches that M&S is set to open in its financial year to March 2025, along with nine new foodhalls, as announced in its recent full-year results.
No comments yet