M&S is set to make its “biggest single renewal investment to date” as it expands its Fosse Park store in Leicestershire.
The fashion and food retailer will increase its store size by 11,500 sq ft to 100,000 sq ft at the retail park, which is owned by The Crown Estate, as it moves into the vacant unit adjacent to its current store.
The larger format site will sell an expanded product range across food, clothing, homewares, and beauty.
Work is currently underway at the site and is expected to be complete in the autumn, with the store remaining open throughout.
M&S Fosse Park store manager Andy Frith said: “We want to deliver a brilliant shopping experience for our customers and the very best of M&S. This investment – M&S’ biggest single renewal investment to date – will mean we can create a brand defining store here in Leicestershire. The store team and I are incredibly excited about the transformation and we can’t wait to show customers the new womenswear department this week and all the changes we have planned between now and Autumn!”
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The Crown Estate senior asset manager Nicole Campbell said: “The M&S Fosse Park expansion signifies both the brand’s resonance with our shoppers and highlights Fosse Park’s position as one of the nation’s most successful shopping destinations.
“Located conveniently close to the M1, we are seeing visitors come from further afield, with footfall growing year on year.”The expanded M&S and new brands will only increase the appeal of Fosse Park. The M&S decision to invest in Fosse Park through this expansion speaks to the strength of the destination.”
The store revamp is is part of M&S’ store renewal programme, which sees it move to bigger, better stores. This involves launching new flagships with stores like the Liverpool One, Leeds White Rose and Birmingham Bullring opening over the past year, as well as giving existing stores a makeover.
One potential revamp that has caused controversy is its Marble Arch plans.
The retailer’s plans, which involve demolishing the three buildings it currently occupies to make way for a new 10-storey building housing a store and office block, were blocked by Michael Gove last year, however in March M&S won its high court appeal, which found the housing and communities secretary had “misinterpreted and wrongly applied planning policy”.
Earlier this week, Campaign group SAVE wrote to Gove to urge him to block M&S’ Marble Arch store redevelopment for a second time.
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