Three-year project will see the opening of around 150 Marks and Spencer Simply Food stores

By Hannah Cook

Marks and Spencer is set to expand it’s Simply Food stores across the UK, which will more than double the amount of outlets currently open.

M&S also plans to open food stores in Paris through the signing of a new franchise partnership with Relay France.

Around half of the new stores will be around 2,000 sq ft and operated with one of M&S’s existing key franchise partners in convenience locations such as motorway service areas, train stations, hospitals, petrol station forecourts and airports. The new outlets are expected to create over 5,000 retail jobs.

M&S has Simply Food partnerships with BP, SSP and Moto operating 249 stores across the UK.

The other new stores will be M&S-owned, high street and retail park stores trading across 10,000 to 15,000 sq ft.

Meanwhile, M&S’s new French partnership will see the retailer and Relay France open around ten food stores in and around Paris by 2018, with the first store opening in summer 2014.

The company has said the stores will offer a fresh food catalogue and will be located at key railway stations, metro stations and airports.

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