Marks & Spencer Generates Thousands of Jobs from Chain Expansion

Marks & Spencer Generates Thousands of Jobs from Chain Expansion

News by Marge Serrano
Published: January 17, 2023

Marks & Spencer, a global clothing retailer and food company, seeks to launch 20 new stores, resulting in 3,400 job openings in Britain. 

Eight "full-line" shops will be opened in marketplaces like Birmingham, Liverpool and the Trafford Centre. Stores will also be opened in city centers and retail parks, according to The Times. 

Additionally, 12 Simply Food stores will be opened in Barnsley, Stockport and Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland. 

Before the expansion announcement, M&S planned to reduce its full-line stores from 247 to 180 by 2028 in line with shifting its focus to the grocery industry. 

Stuart Machin, M&S chief executive, stated that this move is due to the "store rotation program" and "fits into the leveling-up agenda, with the creation of jobs across the whole of the UK." 

Machin elaborated that the program was launched in line with "making sure we have the right stores, in the right place, with the right space." 

The mega-retailer also noted that most of its customers are shopping online, which contributed to its decision to have lesser but higher quality leading shops. 

M&S invested £480 million or $586.94 million in the venture after the British company dominated Christmas sales. 

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