M&S officially starts work on new Rochdale Riverside store

Marks & Spencer has begun fitting out its new store in the Rochdale Riverside development. 

Up to 100 new and existing staff will work at the new store with recruitment beginning via Marks & Spencer’s careers website in spring 2020.

For M&S Food, the Rochdale store will be laid out to offer families everything they need for the weekly shop – with a real focus on areas such as fresh produce and frozen staples, alongside the food-on-the-move and prepared meals that M&S is famous for.

For clothing, the Click & Collect point will be easily accessible to support online orders and the store will offer contemporary, easy-to-wear stylish clothing, including a big focus on Marks & Spencer’s key categories – such as denim, knitwear, footwear and t-shirts.

 

 

Simon Layton, Head of Region for Lancashire and Cumbria for Marks & Spencer, said: “Plans for our new store are moving ahead with pace and we can’t wait to share more details in the coming months. Every part of the store is being designed to offer a fantastic family shopping experience and best serve our customers’ needs.

“Rochdale Riverside is central to the town’s regeneration and, with its convenient location adjacent to the new Metrolink station and transport interchange, the store will be perfect for families enjoying the area’s leisure offering, as well as quick pit-stops.”

Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “This new Marks & Spencer store is a key anchor of the Rochdale Riverside scheme. It’s something the council wants and, more importantly, the people of Rochdale want, so it’s fantastic to see it entering the final stages of development, alongside Reel Cinemas, which has also started its internal fit out.

“Rochdale Riverside is on track to open its doors to the public in spring next year and we’re looking forward to celebrating the completion of another part of the £400m regeneration programme, which is transforming Rochdale town centre.”

 

 

The Rochdale Riverside scheme is a joint venture between Genr8 and Kajima, in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council, which will bring approximately 200,000 sq ft of retail and leisure accommodation to the heart of Rochdale town centre.

Mike Smith, Partner at Genr8 Developments said: “We’re making real progress and are well into the final stages of development at Riverside. This landmark project for the region is shaping up to have a brilliantly diverse tenant mix, and the addition of M&S will grant the local community access to yet another high-quality, internationally recognised operator.

“Marks & Spencer’s commitment to Rochdale Riverside is testament to the calibre of the scheme – we’re so excited to hand over to the team, and we look forward to watching the unit fit-out progress in the coming months.”

Rochdale Riverside will have a mix of retail and leisure facilities that include Hollywood Bowl’s Puttstars indoor golf facility and a Reel Cinema. There will be over 500 car parking spaces at the site and it is located next to the transport interchange and town centre Metrolink stop.

Anthony Dillon, Managing Director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “This is a fantastic milestone for this flagship project, one that we’re proud to say will be a transformative new addition to Rochdale’s town centre and is already proving an exciting catalyst to encourage new inward investment. We are committed to creating lasting community legacies, beyond bricks and mortar, in all the communities in which we work.

“From the outset, we committed to supporting the local economy by using businesses from the area whenever possible during the build programme and we’ve awarded more than 80 per cent of our spend so far to companies within Greater Manchester, 40 per cent of that with businesses in Rochdale.”

The development of the new Rochdale store comes shortly after Marks & Spencer’s opening at Kingsley Village – its first clothing store opening in the South West for ten years, and the announcement it will open at Nottingham Giltbrook next summer.