• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Tuesday July 2 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

M&S to open new flagship stores in Bristol and Bath

Retailer Marks & Spencer is to open two new flagship stores in Bristol and Bath.

The firm today (Tuesday) announced its return to Bristol city centre with an 80,000 sq ft store at Cabot Circus, replacing the House of Fraser department store.

And its Bath store will be relocating to the former 83,000 sq ft Debenhams department store in Bath’s SouthGate shopping centre.

The Bristol store marks a £21 million investment and will create 150 jobs, and sees the retailer return to the city centre after closing its shop in Broadmead in January 2022, after 70 years.

The firm is investing a further £17 million into its Bath move.

Both stores will offer M&S Food, clothing and beauty.

The firm said its move to Cabot Circus would complement, rather than replace, existing stores in Avonmeads, Eastgate, Imperial Park, Whiteladies Road, Cribbs Causeway and Longwell Green.

Staff at the company’s current Bath store – in Stall Street – will be given the opportunity to relocate to the new store, and the Stall Street store will continue trading until the SouthGate store is ready to open.

The firm said the move is part of the M&S’s store rotation strategy to make sure it has the right stores in the right place and with the right space to offer a brilliant shopping experience for customers.

How the new M&S store in Bristol will look

At its recent full-year results, the retailer announced plans to open up to four new full-line stores and nine new foodhalls across the UK in the current financial year.

M&S CEO Stuart Machin, who announced the plans at the retailer’s AGM today in response to a shareholder question, said: “It’s brilliant to be announcing our return to Bristol city centre today.

“At Cabot Circus, we’re able to create a flagship store which delivers the best possible shopping experience for customers and showcases the very best of M&S.

“Our store rotation programme is all about ensuring we have the right stores in the right place and with the right space to excite and inspire our customers, including in city centres.

“This £21 million investment will allow us to do just that while expanding our footprint across the South West.”

How the new M&S store in Bath will look

On the Bath relocation he added: “We want to offer the best possible shopping experience for customers every single time they shop with us.

“This new £17 million investment in a flagship Bath store means we can deliver on that promise and secure M&S’ future in the city.

“Our store rotation strategy is all about making sure we can showcase the very best of M&S – and that touch of M&S magic – from stores which excite and inspire.

“We’ve seen great results so far where we have relocated stores, in city centres like Liverpool and Birmingham, helping us to attract new customers and giving us the confidence to go faster with the strategy.”

M&S currently has over 45 stores across the South West, employing over 4,000 colleagues and working with over 1,100 Select Farmers in the region.