Marks and Spencer to open 20 new stores across the UK - see list of confirmed locations

Some of the shopping centers where M&S will open new stores will include the Birmingham Bullring and the Trafford Center in Manchester - both of which will be converted from former Debenhams sites

M&S has confirmed the opening of new stores (

Image: PA)

Marks and Spencer has announced plans to open 20 new stores across the UK, creating 3,400 jobs.

This chic supermarket will open eight full-line stores, selling both food and clothing, as well as 12 new food halls.

Some of the new sites will be located in shopping centers including Birmingham Bullring, Trafford Center in Manchester, Leeds White Rose, Liverpool ONE and Lakeside Thurrock.

These five new full-range stores will be converted from the former Debenhams locations.

The new openings will see M&S invest £480m in new stores and will be part of a wider restructuring of its business.

But the plans mean some existing stores will close permanently as M&S seeks to focus on its food-only outlets.

M&S announced last year that it would reduce the number of its full-line stores from 67 to 180 over the next five financial years.

However, it will open 104 more Simply Food stores, bringing the total number of its food-only locations from 316 to 420.

M&S is aiming to save £309m on rents with this huge business shake-up.

Stuart Machin, Managing Director of M&S, said: “Stores are at the heart of M&S' omnichannel future and a competitive advantage for the way customers want to shop today.

“Our store rotation program is about making sure we have the right stores, in the right space and we aim to grow from the 247 stores we have today to 180 full range stores of better quality and more productive people selling our full line of Clothing, Home and Food offerings while opening 100+ bigger and better restaurant locations.”

The first of the new stores confirmed so far are:

Purley Way (planned for summer 2023) Leeds White Rose (planned for summer 2023) Liverpool (expected summer 2023) Birmingham Arena (Fall 2023) Lakeside Thurrock (winter 2023) Trafford Center (winter 2023) Stockport (expected summer 2023) Barnsley (expected fall 2023) Largs (planned for winter 2023)

In its latest Christmas trade update, M&S said fashion and home sales rose 37.7% in the 13 weeks to January 1, to just over a billion sterling compared to the same period last year.

Food sales increased 10% year-over-year to £1.9bn, boosted by a combination with Ocado.

He now expects annual profit before tax and adjusted items to be at least £500m.