Marks And Spencer confirms Waterlooville cafe closure to create larger foodhall
Marks And Spencer is repurposing its Waterlooville cafe at the Wellington Retail Park to create a larger foodhall as the retailer pushes a major expansion that includes 20 new or renewed stores between November 2025 and March 2026.
Marks And Spencer to repurpose Waterlooville cafe
The M&S cafe in Waterlooville, located in the Wellington Retail Park, is the latest confirmed closure as the company reconfigures space to allow a larger M&S Food offer. Rebecca Rabadia, Regional Manager at M&S, said: “We know many of our customers want to be able to shop a wider range of M&S Food. That’s why after reviewing our Waterlooville store, we are re-purposing the café space next month to offer even more delicious products, including more Select Farms produce. ”
Other cafe closures across the UK
Despite the expansion push, a number of on-site cafes have closed in recent months, with venues in Crawley, Dunblane, Stirling and Congleton listed as closures. the change may disappoint some customers but that store teams will continue to serve customers in-store.
Expansion rollout: 20 stores and 800 jobs
Between November 2025 and March 2026, 20 new or renewed M&S stores are set to open as part of the chain’s growth, creating 800 jobs. Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, said: “The strong performance of our new M&S food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from Elgin to Exmouth. Our team want new sites where we could open a large M&S Food store as we deliver on our strategy to bring the right stores to the right places and offer the best shopping experience, range and availability for our customers. ”
Site requirements and a 500-location shortlist
In an updated brochure of requirements, M&S has outlined that all new sites will need to be 21, 500+ sqft, in a highly visible location with easy access to major roads and it will need to have dedicated parking. A list of 500 potential locations has been published, with multiple Hampshire sites featured: Portsmouth, Waterlooville, Bishops Waltham, Locks Heath/Fareham, Chandler’s Ford, Basingstoke, Fleet, Hook and Petersfield.
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Work to reconfigure the Waterlooville café into a larger foodhall is scheduled to begin next month, and the chain’s rollout of 20 new or renewed stores is due to take place between November 2025 and March 2026.
