Marks & Spencer back in France by the end of the year
If you like shopping in Marks & Spencer stores you will be happy to know that after a decades’ absence, the Dutch chief executive Marc Bolland announced on April 1st the comeback of the British retailer onto the French market.
The main store will be number 100 on the Champs- Elysees Avenue (formerly the “Esprit” shop), and will open in November, just in time for the Christmas period.
This 15,000 square foot shop will be on 3 floors and offer women’s fashion, lingerie and fresh food such as: sandwiches, salads, fruit juices or ready-cooked meals.
The retailer is also looking for some sites to open Marks & Spencer Simply Food stores in and around Paris in partnership with the SSP group. These stores will make many happy amongst those who’ve been demanding the return of Marks & Spencer in France for the past ten years.
It will also allow French people to (re)discover British sauces, meals and sweets like scones, teas, mint sauce, coleslaw, Scottish smoked salmon, shortbread and many others.
The chief executive also plans to open department stores where clothes and food would be sold under one roof.
As well as this happy news, Marc Bolland announced the launch of a French website. Dedicated to French customers and priced in Euros this international website will offer 10 thousand products and delivery across France.
Here is the link of the website: www.marksandspencer.fr
Marks & Spencer, the UK’s largest clothing retailer with a significant presence on the food market, is well appreciated by French people and has a great brand image in France. This is the reason why Marc Bolland is very excited by the opening of new stores in France and wants “to come back in an extremely positive way”.
In 2001, the British retailer which was directed by the Belgium Luc Vandevelde, closed its 38 stores in Western Europe including the 18 stores located in France (sold to the group “Galleries Lafayette”), where 1 700 employees worked. This closing down sparked off trade union demonstrations for several months and in 2005 the Court of appeal of Paris fined Luc Vandevelde 3 750 Euros for hindrance to the functioning of the works council.
So if you are planning to go on holiday or move to France and are afraid of being homesick you will soon be able to do your shopping in Marks & Spencer stores and buy your favourite foods.