In an update last year, the supermarket also revealed it will open or revamp 20 M&S stores, creating 800 jobs
M&S has previously revealed a wish list of 500 locations where it wants to open stores in the future.
In an update last year, the supermarket also revealed it will open or revamp 20 M&S stores, creating 800 jobs. M&S has confirmed it will open new sites in Northwich, Abingdon and Stonehaven imminently.
Meanwhile, new stores in Farnham and Northampton are also expected to open in spring and summer of 2026, alongside a new branch in Godalming, which is set to be M&S’ largest standalone food store.
The supermarket has already welcomed customers to new stores in Cannock and Bath. M&S previously revealed it wants to expand into areas where it has no stores, such as Hove, Marlborough and Wallingford.
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M&S is looking for sites across the UK that are capable of delivering trading space of 18,000sqft (25,000sqft gross).
Alex Freudmann Managing Director, M&S Food said: “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.
“With more than twenty stores opening or modernised before the end of the financial year, we are moving faster.
“Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers.”
It comes after M&S saw a record number of shoppers visit its stores over Christmas. Food sales grew by 5.6% over the 13 weeks to December 27, compared like for like with the same period a year before.
But the group’s fashion, home and beauty division failed to keep pace with its food business, with sales dipping by 2.9% year on year.
M&S said online sales growth was offset by less spending in stores, which it partly attributed to “reduced high street footfall”, meaning less visitors to British high streets.
It also blamed the prolonged impact on its stock data and management systems following a major cyber attack last year.
M&S revealed in November that the incident was set to impact its annual profits by around £136million, including about £34million in the final six months of its financial year.
The retailer was forced to stop all online sales for around six weeks and it suffered empty shelves due to disruption to its logistics systems after hackers targeted the business around Easter weekend.
Looking ahead, M&S said it plans to “reshape” the business for growth against an “uncertain consumer environment”, including by transforming its stores and reducing costs.
M&S confirmed locations
- Northwich
- Abingdon
- Cannock
- Stonehaven
- Bath
- Farnham
- Godalming
- Northampton
