00:00 We're both really excited for the opening of M&S at Birmingham Bullring today. It was
00:06 a great opportunity to take up this empty unit in the heart of the Bullring shopping
00:10 centre and it's given us the ability to bring the most modern and vibrant shopping experience
00:15 to our customers, which is what they expect from our brand and for the future.
00:20 This new 65,000 square foot store is just the beginning of some major investments for
00:26 the company. Eight more stores are set to open this month with a total investment of
00:31 £80 million. This signals a strong endorsement for traditional retailing after a turbulent
00:38 period that saw the closure of many well-known brands, including Debenhams, who used to have
00:43 a branch right here.
00:45 I think there's been a lot of changes across a lot of town centres and Covid has certainly
00:50 been a drastic change for a number of people. The trend is that shopping is no longer just
00:56 a necessity, it's a social activity as well. So people want to do it and I think this move,
01:01 I mean Marks & Spencer's are reportedly spending about £500 million over a number of years.
01:06 They're strengthening their position, which is absolutely right. I think this is a great
01:11 brand for the Bullring, for the city centre. It's a brand that you can't get elsewhere
01:15 and it'll be a big statement piece and I think it will help drive more people to the city
01:20 centre.
01:21 Across this month alone, three new four-line stores in Birmingham, Lakeside, Thurrock
01:26 and Manchester are set to open, with close to 100 stores across the country in their
01:32 new format. Customers will also notice an enhanced food hall, an increasingly profitable
01:38 and important part of the business.
01:40 Yeah, it's absolutely key to keep giving our customers the enhancement that the brand is
01:45 there for and giving them everything that's new and fresh about our shopping experience.
01:49 So we're really delighted to be the first of nine stores this month that we're opening.
01:54 I think they've been really delighted, they've been really positive they've come in, they
01:58 love the new environment and the range they're seeing. They're really delighted to see it
02:02 in store today. And they're also excited to see some of the colleagues. So all our colleagues
02:06 have come from the existing store in Birmingham into the Bullring with us and we've got 100
02:11 new colleagues as well being brought in. So we really are a bigger team ready to welcome
02:16 all our customers today.
02:18 Thousands of customers made their way to the Bullring for the grand opening. So what did
02:23 those customers think of the new store?
02:26 And if everything's new and clean and bright, are they freely welcome from the staff?
02:31 We haven't actually bought anything yet, they've just walked in.
02:34 I'm sure they will be.
02:36 It's amazing, yeah, it's really nice. We've had a look round upstairs and downstairs. We're
02:41 out in our lunch hour, so I think we need to come on a Saturday to have a good look
02:45 round. But they were really impressed, it looks really nice, they've been really excited
02:49 to come and see.
02:50 More stores are set to open through the month of November. It's a powerful testament to
02:56 their confidence in the future of traditional retailing.
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