Marks & Spencer has opened a compact store on Amsterdam’s Kalverstraat that puts digital at the heart of the enterprise.

A 500 sq m store in the heart of Amsterdam is M&S’ is the latest chapter in the retailer’s international expansion as it makes landfall once more in The Netherlands. The store offers both food and fashion, but the real point of difference from other branches in the chain is the “E-boutique” – a suite of screens that allows shoppers to put clothes on a virtual rail and then see them worn by models.

The move is part of a concerted ‘bricks and clicks’ push that will allow the retailer to open smaller stores while still being able to show off much of the range.