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Published
Nov 10, 2021
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M&S is Bullring-bound, will fill anchor space left by Debenhams store closure

Published
Nov 10, 2021

Happy Hammerson. The commercial property giant has found a key replacement to fill the empty anchor space at its giant Bullring mall in Birmingham after Debenhams closed in May.


M&S


Marks & Spencer is to step into the mall’s key position, albeit not until late 2022/early 2023. Hammerson has called it a “major repositioning” while Birmingham Council also saying the move will be an "incredibly positive" boost for the city centre.

The proposed M&S store will take over the prime 67,000 sq ft location on the Lower and Mid-levels of the Bullring, benefiting from the high footfall from street level as well as from Grand Central and New Street rail stations. The new store will comprise Clothing, Home and Food departments. 

The move into central Birmingham comes after M&S previously closed its nearby Sutton Coldfield high street store to transition the business to out-of-town locations in Longbridge, Selly Oak and, most recently, in Solihull.

Andy Street, Birmingham mayor and former John Lewis chief executive, told Birmingham Live: “It is no secret that M&S have scarce capital to expend and have had to make tough decisions across their estate recently, so the fact they have chosen to… invest and expand is brilliant news. They are one of the most admired brands in the country so it really is a vote of confidence in Birmingham and the city’s real estate that they have made this investment.”

M&S’s regional manager Katherine Ottewell said: “This investment in the city is part of the wider reshaping of our store estate to make sure it's fit for the future, meeting the needs of customers today and those of tomorrow.”

Hammerson added that its new tenant “will contribute to the vibrant retail experiences for customers, in line with Hammerson’s strategy to ensure its destinations are vibrant evolving spaces where people and brands want to be.”

Harry Badham, Chief Development & Asset Repositioning Officer at Hammerson, added: “Repurposing this important space at Bullring & Grand Central has given us an exceptional opportunity to create not only the latest store and food hall concept with one of the nation’s best loved retailers.”

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