Marks and Spencer

Marc Bolland

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has revealed plans to open its first store in France since it left the country 10 years ago.

Towards the end of the year, the UK retailer will open an outlet on Paris's Champs Elysées, selling a selection of food and womenswear.

It also announced that it was seeking to open a number of M&S Simply Food stores at strategic locations in and around Paris, and was looking for suitable sites with franchise partner SSP.

Chief executive Marc Bolland commented: “Marks & Spencer has great brand awareness here in France and a place in customers' hearts. We're very excited to be returning with an e-commerce and retail offer to delight customers with our full range of clothing and home products, and the exceptional food from our Paris store.”