Marks & Spencer is to open a new food hall in a Scots seaside town as part of a major expansion push.
The retailer confirmed on Monday its plans to open 20 new “bigger, better stores” across the UK in the next financial year.
It said that the £480 million investment will generate over 3,400 new jobs across the country and “aims to create a fit for the future M&S store estate and a seamless experience for its customers every time they shop”.
READ MORE: Retailer confirms shock closure of Glasgow Buchanan Street store
The new store pipeline includes eight “full line destination stores” in city locations as well as 12 new food halls in communities across the UK.
Alongside new food halls in Stockport and Barnsley, M&S has confirmed that it will open a 9,000 sq ft food hall in Largs in the winter of 2023.
Stuart Machin, Chief Executive of M&S commented: “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. Our investment in stores not only delivers a better experience for customers and colleagues, it boosts local communities with new job creation and will help us deliver a more sustainable estate in every sense.”
Meanwhile a new M&S food franchise store looks set to open in the near future in Glasgow Queen Street station, with signage already in place.
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