MARKS and Spencer is set to open 20 new shops and create 3,400 jobs.
The M&S group said that over the next financial year it will open eight stores stocking its full range in shopping centres, as well as 12 new food halls too over the next year.
The new store plans come under a wider restructure, with the group last year revealing it would reduce the number of its stores by 67 to 180 over the next five years.
Shopping centres getting new stores include the Bullring in Birmingham and the Trafford Centre in Manchester, as well in as retail parks and high streets across key cities.
Some of the new stores will be the sites of former Debenhams department stores.
The new food halls will be in areas including Stockport, Barnsley and the seaside town of Largs in North Ayrshire, Scotland.
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The new openings will bring investment in new stores to £480 million, M&S said.
Chief executive Stuart Machin said: “Stores are a core part of M&S’s omni-channel future and serve as a competitive advantage for how customers want to shop today.
“Our store rotation programme is about making sure we have the right stores, in the right place, with the right space and we’re aiming to rotate from the 247 stores we have today to 180 higher-quality, higher-productivity full-line stores that sell our full clothing, home and food offer whilst also opening over 100 bigger, better food sites.
“The out-performance of our recently relocated and renewed stores give us the confidence to go faster in our plan.”
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M&S has revealed the list of stores it has confirmed at the moment, with the remaining locations to come over the next year.
Here is the list of confirmed stores opening this year:
- Purley Way (expected Summer 2023)
- Leeds White Rose (expected Summer 2023)
- Liverpool (expected Summer 2023)
- Birmingham Bullring (Autumn 2023)
- Lakeside Thurrock (Winter 2023)
- Trafford Centre (Winter 2023)
And, here is the list new food halls:
- Stockport (expected Summer 2023)
- Barnsley (expected Autumn 2023)
- Largs (expected Winter 2023)
Last year the posh shop chain announced it was planning to close 67 stores over the next five years as part of a major shake-up.
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The closures are part of 110 that had previously been announced.
It came after more than 30 stores closed during the pandemic as clothing and homeware sales were hit.
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