Marks & Spencer
M&S unveils 500 new target sites as it pushes to double its Food business M&S website

Marks & Spencer is powering ahead with one of the biggest retail expansions in its modern history, launching a nationwide hunt for 500 new Food store locations as it works to double the size of its rapidly growing grocery division.

The retailer confirmed the dramatic push this week, revealing that hundreds of towns and cities across the UK are now being scouted for possible sites as part of a sweeping plan to modernise its store estate.

The brand is transitioning toward a future footprint of 180 full-line stores and 420 standalone Food branches.

The bold expansion comes despite a damaging cyberattack last summer that cost the company £324 million ($424.2 million) in the first half of 2025.

Food Division Outperforms Competitors as Sales Surge

M&S leaders say the Food division is delivering some of the strongest growth in years, outperforming rival supermarkets and reigniting confidence across the business.

'The strong performance of our new M&S Food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth,' said Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, in a press release.

Chief executive Stuart Machin has also spotlighted the division's momentum, saying the food business had 'largely recovered and is showing strong sales performance'.

He added that the company was 'regaining momentum' and had logged three consecutive years of monthly volume growth in food.

Despite the cyberattack setback, the division's resilience has emboldened executives to accelerate their growth strategy.

Cyberattack Hits Profits but Expansion Signals Strong Confidence

Following the cyberattack, M&S reported a 99 per cent drop in pre-tax profits to £3.4 million ($4.4 million) in the six months to 27 September, plunging from £391.9 million ($513.1 million) a year earlier.

Even with the sharp impact, the retailer is moving forward aggressively, signalling that it expects the disruption to be temporary and far outweighed by long-term gains.

500 Target Locations Identified Across the UK

M&S has identified 500 potential areas for new or renewed Food stores. Many of these towns and cities do not yet have an M&S presence, including Hove, Marlborough and Wallingford.

The retailer is prioritising larger store formats as it grows the average size of M&S Food stores to nearly 18,000 sq ft to allow customers to complete a full weekly shop.

The renewed-format stores feature wider aisles, expanded product ranges, modern designs and larger car parks geared toward family shoppers.

Several newly opened stores have already exceeded expectations, including the Selby Food store at Three Lakes retail park, which delivered higher-than-average local market share growth.

Twenty New or Transformed Stores Opening by Spring

The rollout is already underway. M&S expects to open or modernise 20 stores between November and March, creating 800 new jobs.

The company has also acquired 12 former Homebase sites that will become some of the largest standalone M&S Food stores in the country. The first of these is expected to open before Christmas in Cannock.

By April 2028, more than half of the M&S estate, including convenience stores, is expected to operate under the renewal format. To speed up the search for sites, the retailer is offering a finder's fee to agents who present viable locations not already on the company's list.

Fashion Trial Continues but Food Remains the Heart of the Strategy

M&S tested its first fashion-only shop at Battersea Power Station in December 2024. Machin described the opening as 'OK' but stressed that fashion-only stores are not central to the company's long-term vision.

The experiment was designed to gauge whether M&S could compete with dedicated fashion labels, though food remains the priority.

Instead, M&S aims to become a 'full-shopping-list retailer', with food at the core of this evolution. Machin recently told analysts that the company holds only 4 per cent of the UK grocery market, which he views as an opportunity for dramatic expansion. More than 50 new food stores are already approved and in the pipeline.

Marks & Spencer's renewed ambition signals a retailer gearing up for a transformational period, positioning itself to dominate the premium grocery market with more investment, more stores and more customers than at any point in a generation.

Writer's pick