Marks & Spencer, the British multinational retailer, has announced plans to expand its M&S Food business in the United Arab Emirates by opening five new large-format Foodhalls over the next 12 months in partnership with long-term partner Al-Futtaim.
The first destination store will open at Dubai Festival City in December, spanning 15,327 sq. ft to become the retailer’s largest Foodhall outside the UK. The location will offer a full M&S Food offer outside the UK for the first time, featuring more than 3,500 products alongside 500 new locally sourced products curated for the market, delivered by over 200 trusted UK suppliers and local suppliers such as Let’s Eat and Domus. The store will also introduce M&S flowers internationally for the first time, alongside new hospitality concepts such as a Fruit Butcher and a Sushi Counter.
Mark Lemming, managing director of International at Marks & Spencer, stated: “Our purpose is to bring the best of M&S to more customers around the world. Building on the strength of our Fashion business in the Middle East, these new large format Foodhalls are an exciting opportunity to introduce more customers in the UAE to the quality, innovation and trusted value M&S Food is known for”.
The scalable format supports the company’s global growth ambitions. According to the company, M&S Food holds a 55% brand awareness in the UAE, while regional insights indicate the food and grocery market is forecast to expand at a CAGR of 3.24%. As part of its long-term commitment, M&S is lowering prices across over half of the Foodhall in the UAE.
Source: Marks & Spencer
