Marks and Spencer welcomed shoppers to its first eco store in Bournemouth yesterday. The retailer expects the 51,000 sq ft retro fitted shop to use 25 per cent less energy and have a carbon footprint 92 per cent lower than a conventional branch of the same size.

Among the energy-saving features are lobbies at the entrances to cut heat loss and a green roof, using plants to capture airborne pollutants.

M&S will open two more green stores before the end of this month: in Galashiels in the Scottish border region and at Pollok in Glasgow.

Marks and Spencer director of store design, development and procurement Richard Gillies said the cost per square foot of the Bournemouth store was no greater than the price of other stores being modernised at present.