St Modwen hands over Longbridge M&S store
DEVELOPER St Modwen has handed over the new Marks & Spencer store at its £100m Longbridge town centre scheme in Birmingham for fit out.
It is due to open later this year in time for the Christmas shopping period and some 350 jobs are expected to be created.
At 150,000 sq ft, the two–storey unit will be the Midlands’ largest M&S store.
The front of the new store will boast a “living, breathing green wall,” which will stay green throughout the year.
A six floor multi-storey and 500 space surface car park are also being delivered.
M&S is the flagship store of the further phase of the Longbridge town centre, which also includes an additional 45,000 sq ft of shops.
Birmingham developer St Modwen said retailers will be announced in the coming weeks.
A separate, further phase, which includes a cinema, gym, restaurant and café space, is planned for 2016.
It follows the initial phase of the town centre which was launched in 2013 and features Sainsbury’s, Premier Inn and Beefeater, Costa Coffee, Greggs and a number of independent retailers alongside the £66m Bournville College, £2m Austin Park and Park Point office building.
Steve Prosser, St Modwen’s Midlands regional director, said: “With around 30,000 shoppers already visiting Longbridge town centre each week, the presence of M&S will further boost the retail offering.
“With its extensive offering of fashion, food and homeware and the creation of hundreds of jobs for local people, it is a considerable addition to the town centre.
Andrew Scanlan, head of central west region at M&S, added: “M&S Longbridge will be one of our largest stores in the country and will offer the latest and best in M&S products.
“Its vibrancy, connectivity and diverse, growing population makes Longbridge the perfect destination for M&S.”
Yesterday Marks & Spencer announced it is closing its stores at The Fort in Birmingham and in Shirley, Solihull (Stratford Road).
