M&S opens new flagship store with 500 new locations planned

M&S is set to roll out over 500 new locations across the UK, as its new flagship store opens (Image: nicolamargaret via Getty Images)

M&S has unveiled a new flagship shop as ambitious plans gather momentum to establish stores across 500 locations. The fresh outlet in SouthGate, Bath welcomed customers today (February 5), with the sprawling 83,000 sq ft establishment, spread across four floors, having relocated from the retailer’s previous Stall Street site.

The ground floor houses a 14,000 sq ft fresh market-style food hall, complete with a florist, a selection of fresh market specialities from M&S Select Farms and its latest product launches. A newly introduced bakery and coffee station offers takeaway barista-made hot and cold drinks, alongside a variety of bread and pastries. Marks and Spencer recently revealed a catalogue of 500 prospective sites for new and refurbished Food outlets, forming part of its bold strategy to double the scale of its food operation.

The new store opened today and heralds a massive

The new store opened today and heralds a massive UK expansion program (Image: Marks & Spencer PR)

The firm is poised to launch or revamp 20 shops by the financial year’s conclusion in April, generating 800 fresh positions, indicating an acceleration of its retail estate transformation.

Within the new premises, offering a glimpse of what’s planned nationwide, three floors of fashion display the latest collections, including Autograph womenswear and Jaeger menswear. A 1,600 sq ft beauty section introduces new third-party brands to customers, showcasing Estée Lauder, ESPA and Hello Sunday.

The flagship store of the food and fashion giant also boasts a 140-seat M&S café, offering a range of breakfast and lunch options. Bath SouthGate is one of over 20 new or revamped outlets that M&S plans to roll out across the UK in the second half of its financial year, reports the Mirror.

Store manager Natalie Jordan said: “We have a fantastic history in Bath, dating back to 1895 and it is brilliant to be investing in a brand-new flagship store in the city centre. Our focus is now delivering the trusted value and exceptional quality we’re known for, alongside a touch of that M&S magic. Our new showstopping store does just that and the response this morning from customers has been so rewarding for the whole team.”

M&S is actively scouting for fresh locations, with an ambitious target of 500 potential sites to expand its successful store format. By April 2028, it’s anticipated that over half of the M&S stores, including convenience ones, will adopt this new layout.

Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food, shared: “The strong performance of our new M&S food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth. With more than twenty stores opening or modernised before the end of the financial year, we are moving faster. Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers.”

This development follows the retailer’s profits suffering a substantial blow following a major cyber attack earlier this year. The incident resulted in online home and fashion sales plummeting by more than 40% after the firm was compelled to halt website orders.

The high street giant disclosed that its underlying pre-tax profits tumbled by 55.4% to £184.1 million in the six months to September 27. On a reported basis, profits virtually vanished, falling to £3.4 million from £391.9 million the previous year.

M&S has disclosed that the cyber attack cost the business £324 million in lost sales, marginally higher than its original projection of £300 million. Nevertheless, it succeeded in recovering £100 million during the first half through an insurance settlement.