Marks and Spencer is enjoying a renaissance. It’s cool now. Millennials post TikToks and Tweets lauding their meal deals, and Gen Z has started buying their clothes. Earlier this year M&S was revealed as one of the country’s fastest-growing brands, while a month ago the chain announced 13 new locations across the UK. And now we’ve got two more M&S openings to celebrate, and they’re big.
Southwest English fans of the brand will be pleased to know that the region is getting two new flagship stores in Bristol and Bath. Both of them will sell food, clothes, home, and beauty products – the usual M&S stuff.
There hasn’t been an M&S in Bristol since the closure of the Broadmead branch last January, but good things come to those who wait. And this replacement is due to be bigger and better.
The Bristol flagship will be housed in an 80,000 square foot space in Cabot Circus, currently occupied by House of Fraser. A councillor for the area said: ‘This decision to take on a larger and very prominent site at the heart of our city’s retail centre is a strong vote of confidence in our local economy.
‘In recent years the city centre retail sector has had to adapt to meet various challenges, but we are now seeing evident progress being made to return the sector to growth and the strengthening of the local offer.’
The Bath branch will be even an even more impressive 83,000 square feet in Southgate. Once it opens Bath’s current Stall Street shop will close its doors, but until then the OG will remain trading.
It’s unclear when exactly these new stores will open, but House of Fraser in Bristol isn’t even closing until August, so it could be a while yet. We’re sure the two stores will be worth the wait.
More brands out to conquer the UK
M&S certainly isn’t the only brand aiming to massively increase its UK presence in the coming months and years. At Time Out we recently covered that Aldi is opening 500 new locations, B&M intends on opening 125 new stores, Greggs wants 160 new outlets and Primark has its five new shops in its sights.
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