Flagship M&S stores announced for Bristol's Cabot Circus and Bath's SouthGate

How the M&S store in Cabot Circus could look Credit: M&S

Two flagship Marks and Spencer stores, backed by a £38 million pound investment, have been announced for the South West.

They will be developed in Bristol and Bath, the retailer announced on Tuesday 2 July.

A brand-new 80,000 square foot flagship store will be built in Cabot Circus shopping centre in Bristol, offering M&S Food, Clothing and Beauty.

The opening is anticipated to create an estimated 150 new jobs.

In Bath, the retailer will relocate to an 83,000 square foot store in SouthGate Shopping Centre.

Colleagues at the current Stall Street store will have the opportunity to move to the new store and the Stall Street store will continue trading until the SouthGate store is ready to open. 

Councillors in both cities have welcomed the news.

Cllr Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “We welcome the news that Marks & Spencer have decided to return to Bristol city centre, and I look forward to supporting their plans for a new store in Cabot Circus.

How the Bath Southgate store could look Credit: M&S

"This decision to take on a larger and very prominent site at the heart of our city’s retail centre is a strong vote of confidence in our local economy.

"In recent years the city centre retail sector has had to adapt to meet various challenges, but we are now seeing evident progress being made to return the sector to growth and the strengthening of the local offer.

"This is progress we wish to build upon and will continue to do so by working in partnership with local business leaders, community groups, our regional partners and others in the sector.”Bath & North East Somerset Council said: “We welcome this continued investment in our vibrant city which has a fantastic retail offer.

"The great location of Bath and proximity of a number of tourist attractions has seen strong demand from a mix of retailers coming out of the pandemic and the council is committed to supporting them.

"We look forward to working with M&S on the future of the current store inStall Street.”

Guy Henderson, centre director at SouthGate Bath, said: “It’s brilliant that M&S is joining SouthGate Bath. When it opens, the new store will be a great addition to our range of big name brands, enhancing our existing clothing, beauty and food & drink options for customers in the city centre.”

M&S CEO Stuart Machin, who announced the plans at a meeting today, said: “We want to offer the best possible shopping experience for customers every single time they shop with us.  "Our store rotation strategy is all about making sure we can showcase the very best of M&S and that touch of M&S – from stores which excite and inspire.

"The new £17m investment in a flagship Bath store means we can deliver onthat promise and secure M&S' future in the city.

"At Cabot Circus, we’re able to create a flagship store which delivers the best possible shopping experience for customers and showcases the very best of M&S."

As it stands, M&S currently has over 45 stores across the South West, employing over 4,000 colleagues and working with over 1,100 Select Farmers in the region.

This latest investment builds on the £6m invested in its South West stores over the past three years.