M&S announces plans to open 12 new stores across the UK
27 May 2025, 15:57
Marks & Spencer has confirmed five of its brand new Food Hall locations – are any of the stores near you?
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Marks & Spencer has announced plans to open 12 new stores across the UK.
The major retailer is set to take over a series of former Homebase sites and will replace the derelict hardware shops with huge Food Halls bursting with goodies.
Retail bosses are bringing fresh produce, tasty treats and iconic bags of Percy Pigs to a handful of areas across England, including Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Surrey and the East Midlands.
With five of the locations already unveiled to the public and eight new sites confirmed, it's thought the upcoming M&S stores will start opening their doors from late 2025.
Where are the new Marks & Spencer stores and when are they opening?
The brand new Food Halls have been confirmed in five locations so far and will stagger their launch dates across 2025 and 2026.
Here's where you can find the new M&S Food Halls and the dates they plan to open their shutters:
- Abingdon, Oxfordshire - set to open late 2025
- Cannock, Staffordshire - set to open late 2025
- Farnham, Surrey - set to open mid-2026
- Godalming, Surrey - set to open mid-2026
- Northampton, East Midlands - set to open mid-2026
The brand new M&S sites, which are still subject to planning permission, are to be built in old Homebase locations after the hardware company went into administration in late 2024.
Collectively, they are predicted to create 550 jobs in the UK – and one store is even set to break a record.
By next summer, Godalming residents will be able to browse around the largest ever M&S Food Hall to date, with it measuring a whopping 22,000sq ft.
Chief executive officer of Marks & Spencer, Stuart Machin, said: "Investing in new and renewed stores is one of our key transformation priorities.
"Securing these highly desirable sites in priority locations will accelerate this strategy, drive further growth in our M&S food business and most importantly give our customers the best possible M&S shopping experience."
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The company has been on a mission to open more food and fashion stores in recent years thanks to a boom in popularity.
The retail giant's latest move is part of their 'store rotation and renewal' strategy, which aims to upgrade 180 of its full-line shops, alongside hitting a target of 420 fresh Food Halls by 2028.
Last year, M&S opened up six Food Halls and two larger full-line stores, selling everything from homeware to fashion, plus upgraded nine sites in the UK.
In 2025, ten new Food Halls have already opened up and two full-line locations are currently in the works.
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