Marks and Spencer has announced an exciting plan to expand its food retail business by identifying 500 sites for new or refurbished Food stores. This ambitious strategy is part of M&S’s goal to double the size of its food division and enhance the shopping experience.
In Gloucestershire alone, four locations are highlighted for possible new stores: Brockworth, Cirencester, Dursley, and Nailsworth/Stroud. Recently, M&S opened a larger Food store at the Centrum Retail Park on Tewkesbury Road, moving from the smaller Kingsditch Retail Park premises.
Beyond Gloucestershire, potential locations extend to areas just outside the county, including Evesham in Worcestershire, Yate in South Gloucestershire, Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, and Monmouth and Chepstow in Wales.
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M&S plans to open or renovate 20 stores by the end of the financial year, creating around 800 new jobs. The retailer aims to focus on prime locations with optimal space for larger store formats, expanded product ranges, wider aisles, and ample parking to attract family shoppers.
Successful results from newly opened Food stores in the past three years have encouraged M&S to broaden its search for sites, including towns with no current M&S presence such as Hove, Marlborough, and Wallingford. For example, the Food store that opened in Selby on Three Lakes retail park has exceeded expectations by increasing the local market share.
The company aims for over half of its stores, including convenience outlets, to feature the modernized store format by April 2028. Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food, stated: “The strong performance of our new food stores gives us confidence to explore locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth. We are accelerating our efforts to bring the right stores to the right places with an enhanced shopping experience.”
This expansion comes amid challenges faced by M&S, including a significant cyber attack earlier this year. The attack severely disrupted online home and fashion sales, causing profits to fall sharply. Underlying pre-tax profits plunged 55.4% to £184.1 million for the six months ending September 27, largely due to lost sales of £324 million caused by the cyber incident. Fortunately, insurance helped recover £100 million of these losses.
The cyber attack also led to a major halt in online sales for approximately six weeks and logistical disruptions affecting in-store operations. Customer data was compromised, including names, email addresses, postal addresses, and dates of birth.
Despite these setbacks, M&S is determined to modernize and expand its food retail presence across the UK, creating jobs and enhancing convenience for customers by providing larger, well-stocked stores across multiple regions.