M&S to invest £28m in ‘bigger and better’ northern stores
M&S has pledged to invest £28.5m into its northern stores in 2023 on top of the £20m that has already been invested this year.
This investment will include the opening of two flagship stores, at the former Debenhams at White Rose in Leeds and in Liverpool.
These plans are all part of a wider goal for M&S to ‘create an M&S store estate fit for the future’. Already the developments have created more than 200 jobs across Northern England.
Earlier this week the company opened a new store in Chesterfield, a new Foodhall in Macclesfield and extended the site in Harrogate.
M&S informed its stakeholders that also plans to open 100 more Simply Food branches and close ‘lower productivity full line stores’, to be replaced with 180 ‘high quality larger stores’.
Sacha Berendji, M&S retail operations director, said that the company is committed to having a great physical presence, despite many stores going online.
“Whilst other retailers go online, or sadly disappear, we are committed to having great shops. That means having the right store, in the right place, with the right space to serve our customers the way they want to shop today.”
“These new and upgraded stores will bring together our digital and physical services to deliver a fantastic shopping experience.”