Marks and Spencer has doubled the size of its London Colney foodhall, making it one of the largest stores in the retailer’s portfolio ahead of the festive shopping rush.
The major retail expansion project was completed by construction company Wates, which included making more space for new tills and a range of new services, such as a pizza oven and a ‘Fill Your Own’ station to reduce plastic use.
The expanded 32,000 sq ft store has allowed the team to relocate the opticians, add three sets of new fitting rooms and reconfigure the home, beauty and clothing sections to improve sightlines and enhance the store’s flow for customers.
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The expansion project began in June this year and forms part of M&S’s investment programme to diversify and transform its estate, including “reinvigorated branding” to give its stores a new look and feel.
New features also include a digital cafe that allows customers to order at the front of the restaurant.
Wates has worked with M&S since 2014 under its Foodhall Framework, managing projects designed to bring theatre to the shopping experience with new illuminated signage, bespoke wall finishes, new fridge cases and local wall messages.
The construction team fast-tracked the design while working to a 24/7 programme to ensure the expanded foodhall could be ready in time for the festive period.
So far this year the team has also created three new foodhalls at Finsbury Park, Newark and New Milton with a series of full line stores and new foodhalls at Battersea, Canary Wharf and Macclesfield.
“Having worked for Marks and Spencer on over 50 of their projects under the Foodhall Framework, our team has developed an unmatched understanding of their vision for the store fit-out projects,” managing director at Wates Smartspace, Scott Camp.
“This positions us perfectly to deliver high quality projects efficiently, but it also enables us to overcome project challenges collaboratively,” he said.
Camp added: “In partnership with M&S, we look at every detail of the projects and carefully consider ways to enhance customer journeys, and our team’s commitment to M&S’ retail experience is evident in the exceptional store we have helped to create here at London Colney.”
The news comes as M&S is set to showcase how its Christmas food is developed and made in an hour-long ITV episode.
