Former Chesterfield M&S gets new lease of life with Tesco signing

Tesco is set to open a new store on Chesterfield High Street after signing as the new tenant at the former Marks & Spencer building.

The building, located at 2-8 High Street, has been vacant since M&S relocated to Ravenside Retail Park in 2022 after decades of trading. The ground floor has since been split into three units, with the central 5,000 sq ft space now set to accommodate a Tesco Express store.

The supermarket retailer is expected to open at the end of January 2026, with Tesco taking a 15-year lease.

Commercial property agency FHP Property Consultants brokered the deal on behalf of the landlord, ALB Group, which has already begun plans to rejuvenate the property ready to hand over to Tesco. The group is also creating two additional ground floor retail units of similar size within the same block, which it said are already attracting strong interest from national and regional occupiers.

Arran Bailey, managing director for ALB Group, said: “This deal is another example of our commitment to breathing new life into key town and city centres across the UK. The former M&S site is in a prime location, and securing Tesco is a huge vote of confidence in Chesterfield’s high street. We’re delighted to play a part in supporting local employment and helping to re-energise this part of the city.” 

Oliver Marshall of FHP Property Consultants added: “The letting to Tesco adds to the revitalisation of the heart of the town and shows the continued appetite for well-positioned, quality retail space in busy high street locations. This unit is right in the heart of the city, surrounded by other strong retailers, and we’re confident it will perform extremely well.

“We also have two further units of c. 5,000 sq ft remaining in the building on the ground floor of the building, facing the Market Square. Whilst we have had some good interest, we are keen to discuss this with any other interested parties”.