M&S returns to Bristol city centre and opens new flagship store in Bath

Marks & Spencer unveiled plans to open new flagship stores in Bath and Bristol at its annual general meeting on Tuesday.

The retailer is investing £38m in the two new stores as it looks to further strengthen and consolidate its presence in the South West.

The new Bristol store marks the retailer’s return to the city centre and will replace House of Fraser in Cabot Circus.

The three-level store in Bristol will cost £21m and create up to 150 jobs, the group said.

The new flagship store in Bristol will feature a food hall as well as clothing and beauty lines.

M&S had been based in Broadmead, Bristol, since 1952, but the store closed in 2022.

In Bristol, M&S has stores in Avonmeads, Eastgate, Imperial Park and Whiteladies Road, as well as Cribbs Causeway and Longwell Green.

Stuart Machin, M&S boss, said: ‘It’s brilliant to announce our return to Bristol city centre today.

‘At Cabot Circus, we can create a flagship store that offers the best possible shopping experience for customers and showcases the best of M&S.’

In Bath, the chain’s Stall Street store will continue to operate until the new flagship store opens at SouthGate shopping centre.

In a bid to “secure a future for M&S in Bath”, the group’s new store at SouthGate in Bath will span 83,000 sq ft and cost £17m to build.

The retailer, which has 45 stores in the South West, said staff at its current Stall Street store in Bath will be given the opportunity to move to the new store.

The new Bath store will feature a food hall as well as clothing and beauty lines.

Machin said: ‘We want to offer the best possible shopping experience to customers every time they shop with us.

‘This new £17m investment in a flagship store in Bath means we can deliver on that promise and secure the future of M&S in the city.’

A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset Council said: “We welcome this continued investment in our vibrant city which has a fantastic retail offer.”

He added: “We look forward to working with M&S on the future of the current store on Stall Street.”

The new stores are part of the retailer’s “rotation strategy to ensure it has the right stores in the right places.”

In its recent annual results, M&S announced plans to open up to four new full-line stores and nine new food halls in the current financial year.

In March, M&S claimed victory after Michael Gove’s decision to block a controversial plan to demolish and redevelop its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street was ruled unlawful.