Marks & Spencer is on the lookout for suitable sites to build supermarket-sized versions of its Simply Food banner.
The trial stores, reported in Property Week magazine, would pitch the high street clothes, food and homeware retailer directly against supermarkets such as Waitrose, the grocery subsidiary of the John Lewis partnership.
M&S plans to pilot a smaller number of Simply Food stores of up to 30,000 sq ft, where it would be able to trade from up to 22,000 sq ft. This is a 50 per cent space increase from its largest existing stores.
The company currently operates around 200 Simply Food stores ranging from between 2,000 and 15,000 sq ft. Although M&S owns food halls of 20,000 sq ft in its general stores, stand-alone grocery shops on a larger scale would be a new departure.
Meanwhile, speculation still abounds as to whether M&S will put in a bid for UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, despite an official statement issued yesterday indicating no such offer was to come forth.
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