Marks & Spencer has announced a significant £90 million investment to open and improve seventeen stores across London, creating 450 new jobs for local residents.

The high street retailer plans to open six brand new food halls in Clapham, Covent Garden, Fulham Broadway, Putney, New Malden and Leytonstone over the coming years, subject to planning permission.

Additionally, eleven existing stores will be renewed, including the Pantheon on Oxford Street, which will undergo a complete refresh. The investment follows £30 million spent on London stores last year and £50 million recently invested in stores across the Northwest of England.

The first renewed store opened this week in Clapham South, featuring a revamped produce section, ambient and freezer sections doubled in size, and a larger bakery offering coffee to go. The store has also been upgraded with new flooring, fridges and additional tills for improved customer convenience.

All new and renewed stores will showcase the latest in-store designs, bringing more M&S food ranges to customers with market-style fruit and vegetable displays, large bakeries with fresh coffee available, and Click and Collect counters for clothing and home orders from M&S.com.

Work on the Pantheon store on Oxford Street will begin on 22 April, starting with the food hall in the basement. A temporary food section will remain open during the renewal. When completed in late summer, the food hall will feature a fresh pizza counter, hot chicken options, and a brand-new coffee shop concept.

Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S, said: "London has always been a special place for M&S, growing from penny bazaars in the early 20th century into fresh food halls like the one in Brixton we reopened last year. We serve thousands of customers in the capital across our full line offering in larger stores on Oxford Street, which are soon to be redeveloped, to food on the move in train stations and we are always looking at what we can do next."

The retailer currently operates over 100 stores across London, where its food market share (4.5 per cent) is higher than in other UK cities. The new stores and expansions will add over 70,000 square feet to M&S's London retail space.

Renewed stores will also support M&S's sustainability commitments by utilizing the latest technology for energy efficiency, including LED lighting and natural refrigerant fridges and freezers, with the Clapham South renewal expected to achieve a 60 per cent reduction in emissions.

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