This is not just any store … this is the show-stopping new M&S Leeds White Rose
It’s time – after months of anticipation, Marks & Spencer has today (Thursday 25 May 2023) officially opened its amazing new store in the Leeds White Rose shopping centre. The M&S Leeds White Rose team gathered at the store entrance at 10am with Store Manager, Justine Brook, who was joined by guest of honour Percy Pig, to cut the ribbon and declare the store officially open.
The team have been counting down the days to opening, and this morning over 750 local customers started queuing from 6am to get the first look inside the store. And to surprise those dedicated customers, Percy Pig was on-hand to welcome shoppers to the new store as the team handed out 200 golden tickets to the first customers through the door. Every golden ticket holder was guaranteed a win – whether it’s a free bag of Percy Pigs or freshly baked cookies from the new M&S bakery, and to mark the occasion one lucky customer won a £200 M&S voucher!
Soaking up the opening day celebrations, Store Manager Justine Brook, who has worked at M&S for over 30 years, said:
“We are thrilled to open our brand-new store today in Leeds White Rose. The last few weeks have been spent putting the finishing touches to our new store and I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone in the team who has worked so hard to make sure everything is ready for our big opening day.”
“M&S has been part of the local community ever since we opened our very first stall in Kirkgate Market in 1884, so it’s really exciting to be making this investment in the future of M&S in Leeds and I can’t wait for our customers to explore all the new features that the store has to offer. We’re proud to introduce over 230 new recruits to M&S Leeds White Rose, who can’t wait to meet everyone. With an amazing new, fresh-market feel Foodhall, beautiful new Clothing, Home and Beauty departments which are perfect for shopping your M&S favourites, and a fabulous M&S Café with an exciting new menu, we really do have the best of M&S here for everyone to enjoy!”
Located in the White Rose Shopping Centre, the new 97,000 sqft store offers local shoppers a fresh market-style Foodhall, stylish and spacious Clothing, Home & Beauty departments, and a brand-new 164-seat M&S Café.
As well as creating 230 new jobs, the new-look M&S Leeds White Rose store represents a significant investment in West Yorkshire’s local economy and follows the retailer’s recent announcement that it plans to invest c.£480 million in its store rotation programme, creating over 3,400 new jobs nationwide. The new M&S Leeds White Rose store will be one of the first of twenty new M&S stores that are due to open across the country this year.
Inside the brand-new 97,000 sqft , 100%-electric store, the spacious new Clothing, Home & Beauty departments offers shoppers plenty of style inspiration with the latest Summer collection across womenswear, kidswear and menswear – with dedicated, neon-lit areas to spotlight M&S customer favourites including Per Una, Autograph, and Goodmove, and popular brands like Jaeger. And shopping with M&S will be easier than ever with our team of colleagues on hand to offer support and styling advice, and new features like the option to skip the queues altogether and pay straight away in our store fitting rooms.
Other highlights include a bigger-than-ever M&S Footwear offer with a spacious try-on area, making it easy to find the right fit and style, a transformed M&S Beauty department showcasing customer favourites, including the much-loved Apothecary collection and popular brands like Clinique and Benefit, and a dedicated area in the new homeware department to showcase the expertly crafted M&S furniture collection.
The store’s new-look M&S Café offers customers table service in a super stylish space to eat, drink and relax, with freshly prepared M&S Food, barista made hot drinks and comfy soft lounge seating.
The brand-new Café marks the latest in the transformation of M&S Cafes, which sees a complete step change – with new branding and improved all-day delicious menus, with favourites including Magic Coffee®, the hottest new style of coffee to reach the UK since the Flat White and exclusive to M&S Cafés, and the all new Summer Menu including the launch of the new Percy Pig™ barista-made Frappe with all the flavours of Percy – apple, raspberry, and grape, topped with whipped cream, Percy sprinkles AND a Percy piglet, and the Colin the Caterpillar™ Frappe – a chocolate flavoured drink with whipped cream, Colin sprinkles and a mini white chocolate Colin face.
And inside the brand-new M&S Foodhall, customers will find a new fresh-market feel, with displays brimming with great quality, trusted value produce from M&S Select Farms, and a show-stopping bakery offering fresh daily-baked bread and pastries, including M&S Collection Sourdough – made through a traditional 30-hour process – and the exclusive M&S Yumnuts™. Other Foodhall highlights include a sensational selection of cheeses, an M&S pizza counter where customers can grab a whole sourdough pizza to cook at home or enjoy freshly cooked in our authentic Italian pizza oven, and a dedicated M&S Wine Shop.
With the weather hotting up this week, the new store will also feature a range of amazing options for your summer BBQs and picnics. Shoppers at M&S White Rose will also be amongst the first in the country to get their hands on the new M&S Collection Double Stuffed Sausage Rolls. Double the flavour, double the wow-factor of the classic … and hand crafted by The Yorkshire Baker – a local bakery based in Malton which has been supplying M&S with handcrafted pastry delights for over 10 years.
And with a huge range of M&S Remarksable products – including Super Soft sliced bread, RSCPA Assured fresh milk, and beef mince from trusted M&S Select Farmers – the new store will always deliver trusted value for local customers.
With a generous car park on site, the new M&S Leeds White Rose store is ideal for bigger basket family shopping or for those popping in on the commute home. The store is located at White Rose Shopping Centre, Dewsbury Road, Leeds, LS11 8LU and will be open Monday–Friday 8am–9pm, Saturday 8am–8pm and on Sunday, 11am–5pm (browse from 10:30am).
And of course, follow M&S Leeds White Rose on Facebook and Tik Tok for all the latest updates on the store and be the first to hear exciting product news.
This post is based on a press release issued by Marks and Spencer
Photo: Store Manager Justine Brook and the M&S Leeds White Rose team open their new store
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