M&S to beef up Trafford Centre presence with relocation to former Debenhams site
High street giant, M&S, is to occupy another prominent former Debenhams site in the North West.
The retailer confirmed last month that it is to take half the former Debenhams store in the Liverpool One shopping centre, and it has now announced it is to take over the Trafford Centre former Debenhams site.
M&S will move from its current 87,000 sq ft Trafford Centre location into the 135,000 sq ft unit which has been unoccupied since 2021 following the collapse of the Debenhams group in December 2021.
Staff at the current Trafford Centre site will relocate to the new space later this year, which will also result in a recruitment drive by the group.
M&S said the Trafford Centre investment is part of rotating its store estate to ensure the group has the right stores in the right locations.
Last month, Liverpool One owner, Grosvenor, announced a deal for M&S to move into the former Debenhams anchor store at the city centre site.
Set to open in mid-2023, M&S is relocating from its current Church Street site nearby, to create a 100,000 sq ft store.
It said M&S’s Liverpool One investment is part of the retailer’s national store rotation programme, which aims to create an M&S store estate fit for the future, with high quality, high productivity space across the UK.
M&S Liverpool One will feature a next generation food hall, clothing and home departments. The store will also include a café, dedicated Coffee To Go section, in-store bakery, Food to Go aisle, and an extensive selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. The fashion and homewares departments will showcase M&S own range of products, along with its exclusive collaborations and capsule collections.
Alison Clegg, managing director, asset management, Grosvenor, said: “The signing of M&S at Liverpool One is a great reflection of Grosvenor’s strategy of marrying the needs and wants of consumers to those of leading brands.”
Pete Dobson, regional manager, M&S, said: “We’re really excited to announce the relocation of our M&S store into the heart of the city in Liverpool One. The new store will offer the very best of M&S in a prime location in the city centre.”
The signing of M&S completes the evolution of the former Liverpool One Debenhams unit, following the announcement that Gravity Active Entertainment is creating a £10m, 100,000 sq ft entertainment experience on the remaining upper two floors.
