M&S has announced plans to return to Bristol with the opening of a brand-new flagship store in Cabot Circus. The 80,000 sq ft store is backed by a £21m investment by the retailer and is expected to create up to 150 jobs. This new store will offer customers the very best of M&S Food, Clothing, and Beauty.
The opening of the Cabot Circus store is part of M&S’s store rotation strategy, ensuring that the retailer has the right stores in the right places with the right space to provide an excellent shopping experience. Cabot Circus complements M&S’s existing presence across Bristol, including its Avonmeads, Eastgate, Imperial Park, and Whiteladies Road stores, as well as Cribbs Causeway and Longwell Green. Work is currently underway to transform the Cribbs Causeway store.
At its recent full-year results, M&S announced plans to open up to four new full-line stores and nine new foodhalls across the UK in the current financial year. This announcement follows the recent news of the upcoming opening of a new flagship store in Bath’s SouthGate, marking a significant investment in the South West.
M&S CEO Stuart Machin said: “It’s brilliant to be announcing our return to Bristol city centre. 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 £21m investment will allow us to do just that while expanding our footprint across the South West.”
As it stands, 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. This latest investment builds on the approximately £6m invested in its South West stores over the past three years.
Hammerson CEO, Rita-Rose Gagné, said, “We are delighted to continue expanding our partnership with M&S in Cabot Circus, having seen the positive impact of their presence across our other destinations. M&S is a brand that resonates with our core catchment areas and this new store will support our strategy to create a leading destination, thriving at the heart of Bristol city centre.”
