Marks & Spencer has identified 32 Scottish locations as potential sites for new or expanded M&S Food halls as part of a major UK-wide push to grow its grocery business. The retailer is assessing around 500 sites across the country, with Scotland featuring prominently in plans to reach more neighbourhoods with larger-format food stores.
The list of Scottish target areas stretches from Elgin and Inverness in the north to Dumfries and Dunblane further south, underlining the breadth of the retailer’s ambitions. M&S is particularly focused on communities where it sees strong demand for a fuller food range, including suburbs of the major cities and growing commuter towns.
In and around Glasgow, proposed locations include Anniesland, Bishopbriggs, Clarkston, Kings Park, Milngavie, Uddingston and Westhill, alongside Kingsgate in East Kilbride and Coatbridge Faraday. Edinburgh is represented through Leith, Morningside and Craigleith, while Aberdeen’s catchment is covered by Bridge of Don as well as Cults and Garthdee. Dundee and the surrounding area feature via Broughty Ferry, with St Andrews, Montrose and Stonehaven strengthening the east coast presence.
Part of a wider UK strategy
The Scottish pipeline sits within a broader plan to double the size of M&S’s food business, with the company aiming to open or renew 20 food stores before the end of the current financial year, creating around 800 jobs. M&S is increasingly prioritising larger food halls, targeting sites of around 18,000 square feet so it can showcase a wider assortment and provide more space for services and parking.
More than half of the retailer’s estate is expected to be converted to this modernised format by April 2028, combining extended ranges with wider aisles and improved layouts. The business has pointed to the strong performance of new and revamped food stores over the past three years as the catalyst for accelerating investment into additional locations.
What M&S is looking for
Property teams are concentrating on sites that can accommodate full-line food halls rather than smaller convenience shops, enabling M&S to compete more directly with mainstream grocers on weekly shops. Many of the shortlisted Scottish communities currently lack a large M&S Food presence, giving the retailer an opportunity to tap into pent-up demand from existing online customers and those travelling to neighbouring towns.
M&S Food’s leadership has signalled that the priority is to match store formats to local demographics, focusing on areas with strong family and commuter bases as well as affluent catchments that already buy into the brand. By expanding in a mix of city districts, market towns and coastal communities, the retailer aims to build a more balanced Scottish footprint that is less reliant on a handful of flagship sites.
Implications for local high streets
For many of the 32 named locations, the arrival of an M&S Food hall would represent a significant new anchor for retail parks and high streets, potentially boosting footfall for surrounding independents and chains. Local authorities and business groups in areas such as Ellon, Glenrothes, Inverurie and Irvine are likely to view the plans as a vote of confidence in their long-term growth prospects.
Alex Freudmann, Managing Director, M&S Food, said: “The strong performance of our new M&S food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth.
“With more than twenty stores opening or modernised before the end of the financial year, we are moving faster.
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“Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers.”
However, the expansion may also intensify competition for smaller convenience operators and established supermarkets, particularly in suburban hubs already served by multiple grocers. With site searches still under way and openings dependent on negotiations and planning, communities across Scotland will be watching closely to see which of the 32 target areas ultimately secure a new M&S Food store.
