Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced plans to open two new flagship stores in Bath and Bristol.

The retailer has announced plans to return to Cabot Circus in Bristol with a 80,000 sq ft store backed by a £21 million investment.

The new store will offer customers a full range of food clothing and beauty, with M&S estimating that it will create around 150 new jobs in the area.

Meanwhile, the existing M&S store in Bath will be relocated to a 83,000 sq ft site in the SouthGate Shopping Centre at a cost of £17 million investment. M&S said that the new store guarantees the future of the store in the city.

The current store in Stall Street store will continue to trade until the new site is ready and employees will transfer to the new store.

M&S currently has over 45 stores across the South West, employing over 4,000 people. The retailer said it has invested around £6 million in its stores across the South West over the past three years.

Commenting on the new Bristol store, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said: “At Cabot Circus, we’re able to create a flagship store which delivers the best possible shopping experience for customers and showcases the very best of M&S. Our store rotation programme is all about ensuring we have the right stores in the right place and with the right space to excite and inspire our customers, including in city centres.”

---