Business & Technology
M&S opens new Oxford Street flagship in 500-store transformation plan
The retail giant has already opened more than 20 brand new or upgraded stores in the last year and is pressing ahead with plans to modernise around 500 more locations over the coming years.
The newly refurbished Pantheon store on London’s Oxford Street is being treated as the blueprint for the future of M&S, showcasing the chain’s latest shopping experience complete with an expanded beauty hall, digital displays, upgraded fashion departments and a larger homeware offering.
The flagship spans almost 100,000 square feet across four floors, bringing together food, clothing, beauty and home under one roof.
New beauty hall, luxury home department and digital shopping experience
Among the biggest additions is a dedicated beauty hall featuring M&S own-brand products alongside premium beauty brands.
Shoppers will also find a made-to-measure suit fitting service in menswear, while the expanded home department includes an exclusive Kelly Hoppen-designed space showcasing the interior designer’s collection.
Throughout the store, digital screens offer outfit inspiration, bespoke fragrances scent different areas and curated playlists have been introduced to create a more immersive shopping experience.
M&S chief executive Stuart Machin said the store reflects the retailer’s strategy to “protect the magic and modernise the rest”.
He added: “We’ve still got a lot to do modernising our estate, with 25 years of catching up to do. But Pantheon is a big step forward.”
Part of M&S’s biggest store overhaul in decades
The Oxford Street relaunch is only one part of M&S’s wider investment programme.
The retailer has already completed 20 new or upgraded stores before April 2026, with further openings and refurbishments continuing throughout 2026 as it reshapes its estate.
It ultimately plans to modernise around 500 stores, replacing older layouts with larger food halls, improved clothing departments and new technology designed to make shopping easier.
Alongside Pantheon, M&S is continuing work on its controversial Marble Arch redevelopment, which will replace its ageing flagship with a brand-new nine-storey building featuring a flagship store, offices, café and gym, after finally securing planning approval following a lengthy legal battle.
Full list of M&S stores opened this year already
The 20 stores opened or newly developed before April 2026 include:
- Bath SouthGate
- Bracknell Lexicon
- Cannock
- Dundee
- Handforth Dean
- Harrogate
- Inverness Eastfield Way
- Liverpool ONE
- Longbridge
- Lurgan
- Newport Friars Walk
- Newtownabbey
- Purley Way
- Queensferry
- Rugby
- Sheffield Meadowhall
- Straiton
- Washington Galleries
- York Vangarde
- York Monks Cross Foodhall
Where is M&S looking to open or refit stores?
According to the new data, M&S is looking for ‘highly visible’ and ‘accessible’ sites across the UK that are capable of delivering trading space of 18,000sqft (25,000sqft gross).
Within the M25, M&S is targeting prominent sites in all areas that benefit from strong public transport links, steady footfall throughout the week and are capable of delivering M&S Foodhalls with trading space of between 6,000–18,000sqft (10,000-25,000sqft gross).
The sites M&S has mentioned include, by area:
Scotland
1. Anniesland.
2. Bishopbriggs.
3. Bridge Of Don Aberdeen.
4. Broughty Ferry.
5. Clarkston.
6. Coatbridge Faraday.
7. Craigleith.
8. Cults / Garthdee.
9. Cumbernauld.
10. Dumbarton.
11. Dumfries.
12. Dunblane.
13. Dunfermline.
14. Elgin.
15. Ellon.
16. Glenrothes.
17. Inveralmond Perth.
18. Inverness.
19. Inverurie.
20. Irvine.
21. Kings Park Glasgow.
22. Kingsgate East Kilbride.
23. Lanark.
24. Leith.
25. Livingston.
26. Milngavie.
27. Montrose.
28. Morningside Edinburgh.
29. St Andrews.
30. Stonehaven.
31. Uddingston.
32. Westhill.
Midlands and North East England
1. Aldridge.
2. Ashbourne.
3. Balsall Common.
4. Belper.
5. Bingley.
6. Birstall.
7. Bishop Auckland.
8. Blyth / Ashington.
9. Boldon / Harton.
10. Bridgnorth.
11. Brighouse.
12. Bromsgrove.
13. Chilwell / Bramcote.
14. Cleveland Middlesbrough.
15. Congleton.
16. Consett.
17. Cortonwood Barnsley.
18. Cramlington.
19. Dorridge.
20. Driffield.
21. Ecclesall Road.
22. Great Barr Birmingham.
23. Grimsby.
24. Guisborough.
25. Hartlepool.
26. Hexham.
27. Holmfirth.
28. Ilkley.
29. Kidderminster.
30. Knaresborough.
31. Louth.
32. Mansfield.
33. Mosborough.
34. Netherfield Nottingham.
35. Northallerton.
36. Norton College Sheffield.
37. Pontefract.
38. Princess Park, Birmingham.
39. Quinton.
40. Redditch.
41. Richmond.
42. Rugeley.
43. Scarborough.
44. Scunthorpe.
45. Sleaford.
46. South Doncaster.
47. Stourbridge.
48. Team Valley Gateshead.
49. The Springs Leeds.
50. Thirsk.
51. Trentham.
52. Wakefield Rd Huddersfield.
53. Wednesbury.
54. West Huddersfield.
55. West Park Darlington.
56. Wetherby.
57. Whitley Bay.
58. Wickersley.
59. Wolverhampton.
60. Wombourne.
61. Yarm.
North West England and North Wales
1. Abergele.
2. Altrincham.
3. Ashton-in-Makerfield.
4. Bamber Bridge / Clayton.
5. Barrow.
6. Bromborough.
7. Burnley.
8. Buxton.
9. Chorley.
10. Clitheroe.
11. Didsbury.
12. Frodsham.
13. Garstang.
14. Glossop.
15. Hale Barnes.
16. Knutsford.
17. Lancaster.
18. Leigh.
19. Lytham.
20. Market Drayton.
21. Marple.
22. Menai / Bangor.
23. Middlewich.
24. Mold.
25. North East Bolton.
26. Northwich.
27. Oldham.
28. Ormskirk.
29. Oswestry.
30. Penrith.
31. Prescot.
32. Prestwich.
33. Rawtenstall.
34. Stockton Heath.
35. Ulverston.
36. Upton.
37. West Cheadle.
38. Widness.
39. Workington.
Recommended reading:
Midlands/East Anglia
1. Ashby De La Zouch.
2. Basildon.
3. Bedford, South.
4. Benfleet/ Leigh-on-Sea.
5. Bicester.
6. Billericay.
7. Bishop Stortford.
8. Braintree.
9. Brentwood.
10. Corby.
11. Daventry.
12. Diss.
13. Ely.
14. Fletchamstead, Coventry.
15. Flitwick.
16. Grantham.
17. Great Dunmow.
18. Great Yarmouth.
19. Harlow.
20. Hertford.
21. Holt/ Cromer.
22. Huntington.
23. Kenilworth.
24. Kettering.
25. Leicester, North.
26. Letchworth.
27. Loughborough.
28. Lutterworth.
29. Maldon.
30. Market Harborough.
31. Martlesham Heath, Ipswich.
32. Melton Mowbray.
33. Newmarket.
34. North Cambridge.
35. North Norwich.
36. Northampton, West.
37. Nuneaton/Hinckley (A5).
38. Oadby.
39. Potters Bar.
40. Putnoe – Bedford.
41. Rayleigh.
42. Royston.
43. Saffron Walden.
44. South Cambridge.
45. Spalding.
46. Stamford.
47. Sudbury.
48. Towcester.
49. Westway Chelmsford.
50. Witham.
51. Woodham Ferrers.
52. Wymondham/Cringleford.
Home Counties
1. Acorn Park Crawley.
2. Ascot/ Sunningdale.
3. Ashford.
4. Aylesbury.
5. Berkhamsted.
6. Billinghurst.
7. Bognor Regis.
8. Borough Green.
9. Buckingham.
10. Burgess Hill.
11. Calcot Reading.
12. Canterbury.
13. Chalfont St Peter.
14. Chineham, Basingstoke.
15. Cranleigh.
16. Crowborough.
17. Dover.
18. East Grinstead.
19. Farnborough.
20. Fetcham/ Leatherhead.
21. Fleet.
22. Folkestone.
23. Harpenden.
24. Haslemere.
25. Haywards Heath.
26. Hazlemere.
27. Heathfield, East Sussex.
28. Hemel Hempstead.
29. Henley-on-Thames.
30. Herne Bay.
31. Hook, Hampshire.
32. Leighton Buzzard.
33. Lewes.
34. Marlow.
35. Marshalswick, St Albans.
36. North Brighton.
37. Oxted.
38. Petersfield.
39. Princes Risborough.
40. Reigate.
41. Rustington.
42. Seaford.
43. South Reading.
44. Storrington.
45. Strood SF.
46. Thame.
47. Tonbridge.
48. Tring.
49. Wendover.
50. West Basingstoke.
51. West Woking.
52. Whitstable.
53. Windsor.
54. Wokingham/ Arborfield.
55. Woodley Reading.
56. Worthing.
57. Wycombe Marsh.
South West and Wales.
1. Abergavenny.
2. Aberystwyth.
3. Andover.
4. Bath, West.
5. Bishops Waltham.
6. Blandford Forum.
7. Bodmin.
8. Bridgend.
9. Bridgwater.
10. Broadstone.
11. Caerphilly.
12. Carmarthen.
13. Chandler’s Ford.
14. Chepstow.
15. Chippenham.
16. Chipping Norton.
17. Cirencester.
18. Clevedon.
19. Cwmbran.
20. Devizes.
21. Dursley.
22. East Exeter.
23. Emersons Green.
24. Evesham.
25. Exmouth.
26. Falmouth.
27. Ferndown.
28. Frome.
29. Gloucester Brockworth.
30. Headington.
31. Henleaze.
32. Honiton.
33. Ilminster.
34. Imperial, Bristol.
35. Llanishen, Cardiff.
36. Locks Heath/Fareham.
37. Lyme Regis/Axminster (A35).
38. Monmouth.
39. Mumbles.
40. North Dorchester.
41. North Neath.
42. Ocean RP Portsmouth SF.
43. Penarth.
44. Pentwyn.
45. Plymstock/ Sherford.
46. Pontarddulais.
47. Porthcawl.
48. Portishead.
49. Radstock/Midsomer Norton.
50. Ringwood/Verwood.
51. St Austell.
52. Stroud / Nailsworth.
53. Summertown.
54. Talbot Green.
55. Teignmouth.
56. Tiverton.
57. Trowbridge.
58. Waterlooville.
59. Wellington.
60. Weston Super Mare.
61. Winscombe.
62. Witney.
63. Yate.
North West and West London
1. Acton.
2. Baker Street.
3. Belgravia.
4. Belsize Park.
5. Brent Cross Town.
6. Brentford.
7. Brondesbury.
8. Chalk Farm and Primrose Hill.
9. Childs Hill.
10. Cricklewood.
11. East Finchley.
12. Eastcote.
13. Edgware.
14. Finchley.
15. Finchley Road.
16. Gloucester Road.
17. Golders Green.
18. Hampstead.
19. Hanwell.
20. Harrow Weald.
21. Hatch End.
22. Hendon.
23. High Barnet.
24. Hillingdon.
25. Holland Park.
26. Ickenham.
27. Isleworth.
28. Kensal Green.
29. Kensal Rise.
30. Kentish Town.
31. Kenton.
32. Knightsbridge.
33. Ladbrooke Grove / Portobello Road.
34. Maida Vale.
35. Mill Hill East.
36. Moor Park.
37. New Barnet.
38. North Harrow.
39. North Putney Bridge.
40. North Watford.
41. Northfields.
42. Northwood.
43. Northwood Hills.
44. Osterley.
45. Parsons Green.
46. Pimlico.
47. Preston Road.
48. Queens Park.
49. Rayners Lane.
50. Ruislip.
51. Ruislip Manor.
52. Shepherds Bush.
53. Shepperton.
54. South Ealing.
55. South Kensington.
56. St Johns Wood.
57. Stanmore.
58. Sunbury.
59. Warren Street / Euston Square.
60. Wembley Stadium / Wembley Park.
61. West Ealing.
62. Westbourne Grove.
63. Willesden Green.
The City, NE and SE London
1. Aldgate.
2. Barking Station.
3. Barkingside.
4. Bethnal Green.
5. Blackheath.
6. Bounds Green.
7. Brockley.
8. Buckhurst Hill.
9. Camberwell.
10. Canning Town.
11. Chigwell.
12. Chingford.
13. Cockfosters.
14. Collier Row.
15. Crofton Park.
16. Crouch End.
17. Denmark Hill.
18. Dulwich.
19. Dulwich Village.
20. Elm Park.
21. Emerson Park.
22. Enfield Chase.
23. Forest Gate / Wanstead Park.
24. Forest Hill.
25. Gants Hill.
26. Gidea Park.
27. Greenwich.
28. Greenwich Peninsula.
29. Hackney Wick.
30. Hainault.
31. Harold Hill.
32. Harold Wood.
33. Harringay.
34. Highams Park.
35. Highbury.
36. Highgate.
37. Hither Green.
38. Honor Oak.
39. Hornchurch.
40. Hornsey.
41. Ilford Station.
42. Kidbrooke.
43. Lee.
44. Leyton.
45. Meridian Water.
46. Mile End.
47. Mottingham.
48. New Cross.
49. Newbury Park.
50. North Enfield.
51. Palmers Green.
52. Shooters Hill.
53. Shoreditch.
54. South Romford.
55. South Woodford.
56. Stoke Newington.
57. Surrey Quays / Canada Water.
58. Sydenham.
59. Tufnell Park.
60. Turnpike Lane.
61. Upminster.
62. Upper Walthamstow.
63. Walthamstow.
64. Wapping.
65. Whitechapel Station.
66. Winchmore Hill.
67. Woodford.
South London and West End
1. Abbey Wood.
2. Addlestone.
3. Balham.
4. Banstead.
5. Barnes.
6. Biggin Hill.
7. Blackfen.
8. Burgh Heath.
9. Carshalton.
10. Caterham.
11. Cheam.
12. Chertsey.
13. Chessington.
14. Chislehurst.
15. Clapham.
16. Claygate.
17. Cobham.
18. Coulsdon.
19. Crayford.
20. Crystal Palace / Upper Norwood.
21. Dartford.
22. East Bromley.
23. East Putney.
24. East Sheen.
25. Egham Hythe.
26. Elmers End.
27. Esher.
28. Ewell.
29. Gipsy Hill.
30. Hackbridge.
31. Ham.
32. Hampton.
33. Hanworth.
34. Hayes : Bromley.
35. Herne Hill.
36. Hersham.
37. Kingswood.
38. Locksbottom.
39. Lower Morden.
40. Molesey.
41. Morden.
42. New Malden.
43. Nine Elms.
44. North Cheam.
45. Oxshott.
46. Penge.
47. Petts Wood.
48. Raynes Park.
49. Sanderstead.
50. Selsdon.
51. South Orpington.
52. St Margarets.
53. Stoneleigh.
54. Surbiton.
55. Tadworth.
56. Thames Ditton.
57. Tooting Bec.
58. Vauxhall.
59. Wallington.
60. Walton-on-Thames.
61. Wandsworth.
62. Warlingham.
63. Welling.
64. Weybridge.
65. Whitton.
66. Wimbledon Chase.
67. Wimbledon Village.
68. Worcester Park.
The investment comes as M&S continues to focus on growing its food business while modernising its clothing, beauty and home departments.
Where would you like to see a new M&S store? Tell us in the comments below…
Altimetrik has joined the World Economic Forum’s Centre for AI Excellence, placing the company among organisations contributing to the Forum’s work on responsible artificial intelligence.
It will bring its work in AI engineering, data and platform systems to the Centre, where members contribute to governance, industry adoption and the use of AI across large organisations. Altimetrik’s involvement centres on ALTi AIOS, its AI engineering operating system, designed for large businesses with established legacy systems.
The Centre for AI Excellence is one of the World Economic Forum’s hubs for AI governance and adoption. Its programmes focus on encouraging innovation, preparing industries and societies for broader AI use, and promoting what it describes as trustworthy technology through governance frameworks.
For Altimetrik, the membership adds an international policy and standards dimension to a business focused on deploying AI inside complex corporate environments. More than 10,000 engineering practitioners are working on AI in production across sectors including banking, financial services and insurance, manufacturing, retail, automotive, healthcare and life sciences.
The announcement also reflects a wider shift in the AI market, as attention moves from experimental pilots to the challenge of integrating AI into older technology estates. Many large companies are trying to apply new AI systems without replacing decades of accumulated software, data infrastructure and operational processes.
That issue is central to Altimetrik’s pitch. ALTi AIOS is built for so-called brownfield enterprise environments, where existing systems must be connected to AI tools rather than rebuilt from scratch. The platform provides a unified operational layer for managing models, data, governance and interactions between people and AI systems.
Enterprise Focus
Altimetrik argues that one of the main barriers to broader AI use in large organisations is not access to models, but the difficulty of embedding them into live operations with proper controls. In that context, governance, orchestration and trust have become as important to buyers as model performance.
Raj Sundaresan, Chief Executive Officer at Altimetrik, linked the membership to that agenda.
“Joining the World Economic Forum’s Centre for AI Excellence is a milestone for Altimetrik and an opportunity to help shape the global agenda on enterprise AI,” said Raj Sundaresan, Chief Executive Officer at Altimetrik.
“AI is receiving unprecedented attention, but real transformation requires more than deploying tools. It requires organisations to be engineered to run AI responsibly, securely and at scale,” he said.
Those remarks underline a growing debate in the corporate AI market over what responsible deployment means in practice. For some companies, it centres on model safety and data handling. For others, it also includes auditability, operational resilience and the ability to monitor how AI systems behave when embedded in customer-facing or regulated workflows.
Altimetrik says ALTi AIOS is intended to address those operational concerns by standardising how organisations manage AI systems and by building governance into the deployment process from the outset. The aim is to move AI beyond isolated experiments towards broader use across the business with measurable results.
Wider Debate
Altimetrik’s addition to the Centre comes as businesses, regulators and industry groups continue to debate how global standards for AI should develop. While there is broad agreement that governance is needed, there is less consensus on how to translate high-level principles into day-to-day operating practices inside large companies.
That leaves room for engineering-led firms to argue that responsible AI is as much an implementation issue as a policy one. In sectors such as financial services, healthcare and manufacturing, the challenge often lies in integrating new systems into regulated and business-critical environments without disrupting existing operations.
Niraj Nagrani, Chief Data and AI Officer at Altimetrik, framed the issue around system design and control.
“The enterprises that define the next decade will be the ones that engineer context, orchestration, governance and trust into every layer of their agentic systems, not bolt it on after the fact,” said Niraj Nagrani, Chief Data and AI Officer at Altimetrik.
“The World Economic Forum’s Centre for AI Excellence is the right platform to advance that agenda, and we’re proud to bring ALTi AIOS and our production AI experience to that conversation,” he said.
Altimetrik joins the Centre as companies seek a stronger voice in how AI rules and standards are shaped, particularly around deployment in established enterprises where the technical and governance issues are more complex than in greenfield systems.
David Wilson Homes Southern made the contribution to Benson Community Shed, a scheme that offers adults a space for social connection and practical activities, including woodworking, DIY, and skill-sharing.
The donation will go towards the group’s efforts to purchase a permanent base in Benson.
Robert Field, chair of trustees at Benson Community Shed, said: “We are very pleased with the wonderful support we have received in bringing Benson Community Shed to life, particularly from businesses operating locally that value what we do.
“It is so encouraging that David Wilson Homes is among the growing number of organisations that recognise the social and community benefits of the Shed movement. They deserve our sincere thanks for their support.”
The group aims to tackle social isolation, boost confidence, and improve wellbeing through hands-on activities.
Open to anyone over 18, the shed also provides a welcoming place to socialise.
Campbell Gregg, managing director at David Wilson Homes Southern, said the group provides ‘a valuable space for people to connect, share skills and support one another’.
He said: “Community groups like this play an essential role in improving wellbeing and reducing isolation, and we hope our donation helps to support the group’s fundraising efforts and enables it to continue its important work locally.”
The group is based near the housebuilder’s Chiltern Grange development.
For more information or to donate, visit the group’s Facebook page by searching for Benson Community Shed.
SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO
News Editor
Kallidus has achieved B Corp Certification, joining a small group of HR and people-technology companies with the accreditation.
B Lab verified the certification, which assesses a company’s operations across governance, workers, community, the environment and customers.
Kallidus, a provider of learning management systems and e-learning content, said the accreditation reflects standards applied across the business rather than to a single product or service. The process also requires companies to provide evidence of performance and to embed a commitment to purpose as well as profit in their articles.
The certification places Kallidus within an international B Corp network of more than 10,700 businesses across 104 countries and 162 industries. In the UK, more than 2,700 companies have been certified, making it the largest and fastest-growing B Corp community globally.
Sector benchmark
The move is notable in the HR and people-technology market, where relatively few businesses have secured B Corp status. The standard has become a way for companies to demonstrate social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability beyond financial measures.
The scrutiny covers internal practices as well as external relationships. For companies in workplace and training services, it also highlights whether their treatment of employees, suppliers and communities matches the standards they promote to clients.
Chris Turner, Chief Executive Officer of B Lab UK, welcomed Kallidus to the network.
“We are delighted to welcome Kallidus to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies committed to changing how business operates and that believe business really can be a force for good. We know Kallidus will be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward,” said Chris Turner, Chief Executive Officer of B Lab UK.
Business context
Kallidus serves more than 1,000 organisations worldwide, according to the company, and works with employers on workplace learning, compliance training and skills development. Its customers include businesses and not-for-profits seeking training tools and content.
The company said the certification aligns with its role in helping organisations improve workplace standards. It argued that businesses advising clients on culture, fairness and skills should apply the same expectations to their own operations.
Pat Cannon, Chief Operating Officer at Kallidus, said the certification represented a significant commitment for the business.
“Becoming a B Corp is one of the most important commitments we’ve made as a business. It’s an external, independent validation that we set the highest standards, not just in how we serve customers, but in how we treat our people, our suppliers, our communities and the planet. We help organisations build better, fairer, more skilled workplaces, so it is only right that we hold ourselves to the same standard. For our people, it is a promise that values come first. For our customers and partners, it is the assurance of working with a business built for the long term. And for our industry, we hope it signals that doing the right thing and growing a great business are not a trade-off, they are the same thing,” said Pat Cannon, Chief Operating Officer of Kallidus.
The B Corp framework has gained visibility as companies face pressure from employees, customers and investors to provide clearer evidence of environmental and social standards. Rather than focusing on a single issue, certification reviews a company across several operational areas, helping to make it a broad marker of business practice.
In the UK, the growth of the B Corp community has included businesses ranging from consumer brands to media and retail groups. Well-known names in the network include The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Patagonia, Tony’s Chocolonely, The Big Issue, Finisterre, Elemis and Sipsmith Gin.
Kallidus now joins that group as it seeks to distinguish itself in the competitive workplace learning and HR software market, where buyers increasingly assess not only product features and cost but also the conduct and values of suppliers.
The certification process is rigorous, requiring companies to provide evidence of performance while legally embedding their commitment to purpose as well as profit in their company articles.
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