York’s flagship Marks & Spencer store to get new food hall

A MAJOR store in York city centre is to get a new food hall as a big makeover gets underway.

Marks & Spencer’s flagship store in Parliament Street has announced the project in signs on the windows, proclaiming: “We’re not over egging it, this is not just any store makeover. New foodhall coming soon.”

Inside, an area of the existing food hall has already been cleared of shelving and display cabinets.

Marks & Spencer recently set out details of a £48.5million investment in the North of England, with a plan that it said would deliver ‘bigger and better’ stores for the region.

It said the investment was part of a national store rotation programme, which aimed to ‘create an M&S store estate fit for the future, with high quality, high productivity space across the UK.’

It sasid: “Through the programme M&S has created over 200 jobs across northern towns and cities this year, following new store openings and renewal investment in M&S stores.  

“The announcement comes amidst the busiest ever week in the retailer’s rotation programme, which has seen doors open at a new M&S Foodhall in Macclesfield, a 6,500 sq ft extension at its Harrogate Oatlands store and a new store in Chesterfield’s Ravenside Retail Park – the first M&S full line store opening in Northern England since April 2020.”

Sacha Berendji, Retail Operations Director, said then: “Whilst other retailers go online, or sadly disappear, we are committed to having great shops.

“That means having the right store, in the right place, with the right space to serve our customers the way they want to shop today.

“This week sees our rotation strategy put into action across this region, where we have secured some outstanding sites – including today’s Chesterfield opening and a strong pipeline coming in Leeds and Liverpool next year.

“M&S roots are firmly based in Leeds and this investment cements our future in the region.

“We want our customers across the North of England to experience the best of M&S and these new and upgraded stores will bring together our digital and physical services to deliver a fantastic shopping experience.”

The Northern Echo | Business News