Construction on the Midlands’ largest Marks & Spencer (M&S) store at St. Modwen’s £100 million Longbridge town centre is in full swing, with the steel frame being erected and the installation of concrete staircases underway.
St. Modwen is delivering the 150,000 sq ft, two-storey flagship store, which will anchor the second phase of the town centre and offer clothing, homeware, food and a café. It is set to open for trading by Christmas 2015 together with the new six floor multi-storey and 500 space surface car park.
Up to 350 jobs will be generated by the new M&S Longbridge store, and a further 150 will be created in the construction process. The second phase of the town centre will include an additional 45,000 sq ft of retail, restaurant and café space.
Mark Watkins, senior development manager at St. Modwen, said: “With around 26,000 shoppers already visiting the town centre each week, this flagship M&S store is a very welcome addition to our retailer line-up. Securing an international brand like M&S reinforces Longbridge as a destination that meets the demands of modern retailers and customers alike; offering a one-stop experience by combining an expanding new community with shopping, leisure and business.”
Andrew Scanlon, Head of Central West Region at M&S, added: “Its vibrancy, connectivity and growing population makes Longbridge the right destination for one of our flagship UK stores. This is a worthwhile investment for M&S and our long-term lease shows our commitment to this exciting new area of Birmingham.”
Richard Fielding, area director of Morgan Sindall, the contractor building the new M&S store, said: “We are proud to be following our success on the first phase and working on the second phase of Longbridge town centre. Through our involvement, we will support the local economy by creating jobs and will utilise as much local expertise in our supply chain as possible.”
The first phase of Longbridge town centre, which opened last year, features household retailers including Sainsbury’s, Costa Coffee, Greggs, Premier Inn and Beefeater alongside the £66 million Bournville College, £2 million Austin Park and award-winning landmark Park Point office building.
The fast-growing Longbridge community has so far seen £300 million investment from St. Modwen and the creation of 3,500 jobs since regeneration began in 2003. Learning and leisure opportunities include the £66 million Bournville College, £5 million youth centre, The Factory, and £2 million Austin Park. Nearly 400 homes have been built by St. Modwen Homes and through a joint venture with Persimmon. Construction work on a £35 million ExtraCare retirement village is also set to get underway early next year.
The regeneration of Longbridge is a £1 billion project covering 468 acres. It aspires to create 10,000 jobs through a diverse range of industries, together with 2,000 new homes, the new town centre, parks and public open spaces.