- 36 new stores to open in next six months
- Over 1,400 new jobs created
- Proposal to close six stores
- All colleagues in affected stores guaranteed redeployment in near-by stores
LONDON, 2017-Apr-21 — /EPR Retail News/ — Marks & Spencer (M&S) today updates on its five-year programme to improve its UK store estate to better meet the changing needs of customers.
34 new Food stores* and two Clothing, Home and Food stores are planned to open in the next six months. The new stores include new Foodhalls in Bishopsgate (London, near Liverpool Street), Huntingdon, Aylesbury, Spinningfields (central Manchester) and Strood (Kent) and brand new locations for M&S with Clothing, Home and Food stores opening in Bracknell and Rushden in July.
Over 1,400 new customer assistant and management jobs will be created by the new shops.
Two Clothing, Home and Food stores will relocate this Summer in Crewe (from Market Street to the Grand Junction Retail Park) and Greenock (from Oak Mall to the Port Glasgow Retail Park).
M&S is also consulting with colleagues and their representatives over the proposed closure of six stores in Monks Cross (Simply Food store), Portsmouth, Slough, Warrington, Wokingham and Worksop (Simply Food store).
If the proposals go ahead, all 380 colleagues in the affected stores would be guaranteed redeployment at a near-by store.
Steve Rowe, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, said: “M&S stores will always be an integral part of our customer offer, working seamlessly alongside our website, M&S.com, to deliver great products and service to our customers. However, our customers’ shopping habits are changing. Picking up food for now or tonight rather than doing one big shop or browsing and shopping online and collecting in store are great examples of this and we are committed to adapting our business so that we stay in tune with our customers.
“This means there will be more M&S colleagues working in an increased number of convenient locations, serving more customers. It also means that we will open new stores, some will reduce in size, some will move, some will close and others will convert to Food-only. Each proposal we make will be very carefully considered with our colleagues and customers firmly front of mind. It is our intention that nobody leaves M&S and we will work as hard as possible to ensure that we can deliver against this promise.”
M&S announced its five-year UK store estate programme in November after a full review of its UK store portfolio. The plans will improve the M&S store estate to better meet customer needs and include opening 200 new Food-only stores and selling Clothing and Home from 60 fewer locations. The result will be more, conveniently located M&S stores but fewer, more inspirational Clothing and Home stores that offer customers better ranging and availability.
M&S currently has 959 UK stores – 304 full line stores, 615 Food-only stores and 40 Outlets.
Ends
Further information and new store images
Marks & Spencer Press Office, 0208 718 1919
corporate.press@marks-and-spencer.com
Notes to editors
* includes owned stores branded ‘M&S Foodhall’ and ‘M&S Simply Food’ and franchise stores branded ‘M&S Simply Food’ and ‘M&S Food To Go’. These stores are part of the previously announced 200 new stores opening by the end of 18/19.
Further detail on proposed closures
| Store | Store type and location | Near-by stores | |
| Monks Cross | Simply Food store located on Monks Cross Shopping Park | Clothing, Home and Food store on the Vangarde Retail Park (500 metres away) | |
| Portsmouth | Clothing, Home and Food store located on the High Street | Gunwharf Quays (Outlet store less than a mile away), Havant (Clothing, Home and Food store seven-and-a-half miles away) and new planned Foodhall in Portsmouth’s Ocean Retail Park (two miles away) set to open early next year | |
| Slough | Clothing, Home and Food store on the High Street | Bath Road (Simply Food store two-and-a-half miles away) and Windsor (Clothing, Home and Food store four miles away) | |
| Warrington | Clothing, Home and Food store located in the Golden Square Shopping Centre | Gemini (Clothing, Home and Food store less than four miles away) and Stockton Heath (Foodhall less than two miles away) | |
| Wokingham | Clothing, Home and Food store located on Peach Street | New Clothing, Home and Food store opening in Bracknell in July (four miles away) | |
| Worksop | Simply Food store in The Priory Shopping Centre | New planned Foodhall opening in Retford next year (nine miles away) |
SOURCE: Marks and Spencer plc