Marks & Spencer has opened a £21m, three-floor flagship at Cabot Circus in Bristol, located in the former House of Fraser unit. The store includes a market-style food hall, a 200-seat café and fashion and beauty departments, and has created more than 100 jobs. The opening is one of 16 nationwide this year as part of a £300m investment, and Hammerson expects the arrival to help attract roughly one million extra visits to the centre.
M&S Returns to Bristol: £21m Flagship Opens at Cabot Circus, Creating 100+ Jobs
Marks & Spencer has opened a £21m, three-floor flagship at Cabot Circus in Bristol, located in the former House of Fraser unit. The store includes a market-style food hall, a 200-seat café and fashion and beauty departments, and has created more than 100 jobs. The opening is one of 16 nationwide this year as part of a £300m investment, and Hammerson expects the arrival to help attract roughly one million extra visits to the centre.
06:41 PM, 11/13/2025Economy
M&S reopens in Bristol city centre with a major flagship at Cabot Circus
A new £21m Marks & Spencer flagship has opened in the former House of Fraser unit at Cabot Circus, marking the retailer's return to Bristol city centre nearly four years after its Broadmead branch closed.
Spread across three floors, the store features a market-style food hall, a 200-seater café and dedicated fashion and beauty departments. The opening has created more than 100 jobs and is one of 16 new M&S outlets scheduled to open across the UK this financial year as part of a wider £300m investment programme.
What representatives are saying
"We're so excited to say: 'Bristol, we are back'," said Ali Ivery, M&S regional manager, calling the site "one of the most modern stores in the UK."
Paul O'Brien of Hammerson, which owns Cabot Circus, described the launch as "an exciting day," adding that M&S was the most requested brand from the centre's catchment and that the company expected the arrival to boost visits.
Hammerson has said it is "targeting about an extra one million customer visits" to Cabot Circus and hopes the M&S opening, alongside future arrivals such as an Odeon cinema and a Uniqlo store, will draw more people into the city centre.
Analyst view
Retail analyst Nick Turk of Colliers said Cabot Circus represents a stronger location for M&S than Broadmead and does not expect the new city-centre store to significantly affect trade at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. Turk noted that Cabot is more footfall- and public-transport-driven, while Cribbs functions as a regional shopping destination.
Key facts:
- Location: Cabot Circus, former House of Fraser unit
- Investment: £21m for this store; part of £300m nationwide programme
- Size: Three floors, market-style food hall, 200-seat café, fashion & beauty departments
- Jobs: More than 100 created
- Outlook: Hammerson targets ~1 million extra customer visits to the centre
If you have a local story for BBC Bristol, send it via email or WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.