M&S to upgrade landmark Pantheon store as part of wider stores investment

Marks & Spencer is opening six new food halls and refreshing 11, including a full renewal of its landmark Pantheon store on Oxford Street.

The programme is expected to create 450 new jobs and follows a £30m investment last year in branches in the capital.

M&S’ store rotation and renewal programme is a key part of its strategy as it seeks to draw more customers into “bigger, better” shops.

New food halls are planned for Covent Garden, Leytonstone, Clapham Common, Putney, New Malden and Fulham Broadway, which will open “over the next few years” pending planning permission. The new food halls and extensions will add approximately 70,000 sq ft to the retailer’s London space.

The Pantheon improvements will bring “the latest innovations” to the branch. Work will take place in stages so that the shop can continue trading, and will start with the food hall on April 22. There will be temporary food offered while improvements are made.

M&S operations director Sacha Berendji said: “London has always been a special place for M&S, growing from penny bazaars in the early 20th century into fresh food halls like the one in Brixton we reopened last year. We serve thousands of customers in the capital across our full line offering in larger stores on Oxford Street, which are soon to be redeveloped, to food on the move in train stations and we are always looking at what we can do next. Our pipeline of stores demonstrates our continued investment in London.”