M&S to open record number of stores this month amid £80m investment

M&S will be opening nine new stores across the month of November – the most it has ever opened in one month – following a £80m investment in sustainable bricks-and-mortar retail. 

The openings, which will also create over 2,200 local jobs, will kick off with a new 65,000 sq ft store in Birmingham’s Bullring tomorrow (Tuesday 7 November).

After that, M&S will open at least one store every seven days throughout the month. This will include two further new store openings, alongside three new M&S Foodhalls and a further three store renewals.

According to the retailer, the openings are part of its aim to become the UK’s “leading” omnichannel retailer, with its store rotation programme at the centre of this ambition. 

The retailer is aiming to rotate from a base of 247 stores to 180 “higher quality, higher productivity” full line stores that sell its clothing, home and food ranges, while also opening over 100 “bigger and better” food sites by FY27/28.

Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S, said: “Stores are key to our business, and we see them as part of our competitive advantage. Increasing numbers of customers are heading back into stores to experience the best of M&S all under one roof, supported by outstanding service from our colleagues, and we expect this to continue as we head into Christmas. 

“To deliver our biggest ever store opening month which supports thousands of jobs is an outstanding effort from the team and shows just how serious we are about accelerating our rotation plans so we are in the right locations for our customers.”

Alongside store openings, M&S recently announced it is hiring over 10,000 new customer assistants to support in its stores over the festive period. The vacancies represent a 40% increase on last year and reflects the additional investment M&S is making in colleague hours to support customers on the shop floor as it heads into the festive season.