Latest news with #foodstores
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
M&S to open its largest standalone food store yet in English town
Marks & Spencer (M&S) plans to open 12 new food stores on former Homebase sites across England, creating over 550 jobs. The expansion includes ten food stores and two full-line stores this year, with a 22k square foot food hall in Godalming set to be its largest standalone food store to date. The new food stores will feature a full range of M&S Food products, market-style fruit and vegetables, bakeries, and Click & Collect counters. M&S aims to have 420 bigger, fresher Food stores and 180 Full Line stores by 2027/28 through its store rotation and renewal program. This expansion follows a recent cyber attack that cost M&S £300 million, with the Metropolitan Police investigating the incident.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
M&S to open 12 new food halls across UK - including biggest store yet
Marks & Spencer has announced it will open 12 new food stores on former Homebase sites across England as the British high street retailer continues to recover from a cyber attack. The brand said it hoped to create over 550 new jobs in the move after the DIY company closed 33 of its stores in February. M&S plans to open ten food stores and two full line stores this year. It released the names of five locations so far, adding all store plans were subject to planning permission. The latest stores announced include two 18k square foot food halls in Abingdon and Cannock, expected to open in late 2025. In 2026, the company aims to open an 18k square foot food hall in Farnham, a 22k square foot food hall in Godalming - its largest standalone food store to date - and a 16k square foot food hall in Northampton. The brand promised that these new food stores would carry the full range of M&S Food products, including market-style fruit and vegetables, large bakeries with fresh coffee to go, as well as Click & Collect counters for orders from M&S's wider fashion, home and beauty range. M&S CEO 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.' The brand said in a statement that the new stores marked 'a significant step forward in M&S's store rotation and renewal programme, focussed on having the right stores in the right place with the right space and is a key strand in the business's transformation as it reshapes for growth.' M&S aims to create '420 bigger, fresher Food stores and a more productive group of 180 Full Line stores' through its store rotation and renewal programme by 2027/28, in which the brand is upgrading its location for certain stores or renovating other outlets. Its renewed food stores aim to include larger car parks, a Coffee Bakery where customers can grab a hot drink while they shop along with a loaf of bread, as well as wider aisles and expanded frozen areas. Last year, M&S opened six food stores and two full line stores as well as renewing nine existing stores. These new food stores averaged 15k square feet. The brand's latest move to expand follows a recent cyber attack which costed it £300 million as M&S was forced to shut down its online shopping operations. The attack has left shelves empty in some stores and online orders unfulfilled as the retailer took systems offline after being targeted by hackers around the Easter weekend.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
M&S to open 12 new food stores in UK
British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has disclosed plans to invest in 12 new food stores, which will be established on sites previously occupied by Homebase across England, creating more than 550 jobs. Some of these stores will offer trading spaces of over 20,000ft2. The move is part of the company's store rotation and renewable programme, which aims to ensure that its outlets are suitably located and appropriately sized. The strategy for this programme includes the creation of 420 larger and modernised food stores, alongside a more efficient network of 180 full line stores. By the fiscal year 2027/28, M&S anticipates that half of its store estate will have transitioned to this updated format. In the previous year, the retailer launched six food stores and two full line stores while refurbishing nine existing locations. The new food stores, averaging approximately 15,000ft2, have allowed more customers access to a comprehensive product range. These stores saw food sales exceed expectations by around 20%, the retailer said. Additionally, two new full line stores in Dundee and Washington Galleries commenced operations with sales in fashion, home & beauty departments surpassing projections by 15%. The Fosse Park store also underwent expansion, resulting in a 20% increase in fashion, home & beauty sales compared to the prior year. For the current year, M&S has outlined plans to open 10 food stores and two full line stores, while several other locations will be upgraded to reflect the renewal format. All these plans are contingent upon obtaining planning permission. M&S' new food stores will incorporate contemporary in-store designs including market-style presentations for fruit and vegetables, larger bakeries section and Click & Collect counters for orders from M& Renovated M&S stores will feature amenities such as larger parking areas, farm to foodhall products at entrances, new coffee bakeries, broader aisles, and extended frozen sections. These new outlets will also support M&S's Plan A commitments by employing advanced technology to enhance energy efficiency through LED lighting and natural refrigerant systems for cooling. M&S CEO 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.' Recently, M&S confirmed that cyberattack affecting its operations for over three weeks resulted in a data breach. The company reassured customers that "useable" payment details and account passwords remained secure. "M&S to open 12 new food stores in UK" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
M&S to open 12 new UK stores creating over 500 jobs following devastating cyber attack – is any of them near you?
MARKS & Spencer is opening 12 new food stores across the UK – creating more than 500 jobs – just weeks after a major cyber attack left shelves empty and shoppers locked out of the website. The retailer confirmed on Sunday, May 25, that the new stores will open on former Homebase sites in towns across England, including Abingdon, Cannock, Farnham, Godalming and Northampton. 3 All openings are subject to planning permission. The move is part of M&S's major 'store rotation and renewal' programme, which aims to bring in 420 bigger, fresher food shops and upgrade 180 full line stores by 2027/28. Homebase, which went into administration in November 2024, has been closing stores up and down the country, giving M&S the chance to snap up key sites. The new food halls will be focused in high-priority areas and are expected to create over 550 jobs. Eight of the sites are due to open by the end of 2026. It's seen as a big step forward for the high street favourite as it continues to modernise and push its food business to the next level. M&S boss 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.' Last year, M&S opened six food stores and two full line stores, while also giving nine locations a full makeover. This year, ten more food stores and two full line stores are in the pipeline. Four ways to save money at M&S The company says returns from new and upgraded stores have been strong – with performance beating expectations for three years straight. But the good news comes at a time when M&S is still recovering from a damaging cyber attack that struck just before Easter. The company was forced to suspend online orders, and personal customer data may have been compromised. Shoppers trying to access the website in recent days were met with a message that read: 'Sorry you can't browse the site currently. "We're making some updates and will be back soon.' The BBC later reported that the site was back online, though issues may still linger. M&S has confirmed that 'human error' led to the cyber attack and warned that disruption could continue until July. The incident is expected to cost the firm around £300 million. Names, email addresses, home addresses and dates of birth may have been stolen during the attack, though the company has not confirmed how many customers were affected. Despite the disruption, M&S reported a strong set of financial results last week, posting an adjusted pre-tax profit of £875.5 million – up 22.2 per cent on the year before. Tech expert Robert Cottrill, of digital firm ANS, said the retailer was right to take its time getting everything back up and running. 'M&S appears to be taking the appropriate and necessary steps following the cyber attack, with a likely focus on restoring core systems and recovering critical data,' he said. 'It's essential that M&S prioritises a secure and complete recovery over a rapid one... "The major disruption and sales loss M&S has seen following the incident serve as a powerful reminder to all organisations: cybersecurity must be treated as a board-level issue.' The retailer hasn't yet confirmed all 12 locations, so more towns could be added to the list soon. 3
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Barbecue boost for retailers lifts sales as weather turns warmer
Retail sales grew by a better-than-expected 1.2 per cent last month as spring sunshine encouraged Britons to dust off their barbecues and picnic blankets. Spending in food stores saw the biggest boost as the weather turned warmer in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The month-on-month increase in the volume of retail sales was the fourth in a row. And the 1.2 per cent growth was stronger than the 0.2 per cent predicted by economists. Last month was one of the warmest Aprils on record, with just more than half the typical levels of rain, according to the Met Office. That helped food store sales rise 3.9 per cent. But sales fell 1.8 per cent at clothing and shoe retailers.
