M&S expansion plans unveiled at Preston retail park

Marks and Spencer have unveiled plans for a major expansion of their store on Preston’s Deepdale Shopping Park.

The retailer wants to more than double the size of the foodhall and also increase its fashion, beauty and homeware offering at the Blackpool Road outlet.

The blueprint for the revamp involves knocking through from its existing base on the site to two neighbouring units – one currently occupied by New Look, whose lease is due to expire, and the other a vacant store that was home to Mamas and Papas until 2019.

It is not known whether New Look plans to relocate elsewhere on the retail park.  The firm shut its store in St. George’s Shopping Centre in Preston city centre in March.  The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted New Look for comment.

M&S said in a planning application submitted to Preston City Council, seeking approval for the changes, that its Deepdale branch “does not currently fulfil its full potential and [is in need of] refurbishment in terms of offer and layout”.

It added that its planned revamp would “bring the look and feel” of M&S stores at the likes of the Trafford Centre and Liverpool One to Preston – “albeit on a slightly smaller” scale.

The existing foodhall at Deepdale is just 43 percent of the “optimum” size, according to the company’s own assessment.

Documents submitted to town hall planners suggest that the Deepdale store in its current form even risks becoming “brand damaging” to M&S because of how it compares to what the firm ideally wants to be able to provide its customers.

The company says it is aware that there is “a demand for an increased ‘full line’ offering in this area” and it believes such a store – featuring the complete M&S range across all categories – would “trade well”.

“The existing store no longer provides a high-quality shopping experience and has become dated and too small for the surrounding catchment,” it adds.

If approved, the new food sales space – which would boast 6,600 product lines – would get its own dedicated entrance in the same place as that of New Look currently.   The present M&S entrance would be branded for the fashion offering.

The mezzanine floors in the New Look and Mamas and Papas units would be removed – but the one in the existing M&S store would remain.

The firm estimates that 134 jobs would be available at the expanded store – up from 91 at the moment.

Noting the need to tempt customers away from shopping solely online, M&S says the fitting rooms at the store will be designed “to give people a reason” to visit in person.

The total proposed floorspace of the expanded store would be almost 4,500 square metres, compared to the current 3,200.  The new foodhall would occupy around a third of the site.

National planning legislation demands that town centre or edge-of-town-centre sites are considered for what would be traditional town centre retail developments before permission can be granted for an out-of-town location.

M&S argues in its planning application that there are no alternatives within or close to Preston city centre for the kind of the store it wants to create at Deepdale.

There is no suggestion that the retail park plans would affect the central Marks and Spencer branch on Fishergate.